Description

Chief Medical Officer
St. Peter’s Health

Helena, MT

The Opportunity:

St. Peter’s Health, a highly respected nonprofit community health system based in Helena, Montana, is seeking a collaborative and relationship-driven Chief Medical Officer (CMO). As a key member of the executive leadership team, the CMO will be instrumental in upholding the organization’s strong, patient-centered culture while driving continued excellence in quality, safety, and patient experience.

The Position: 

The primary focus for the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of St. Peter’s Health will be to interface with the medical staff and leadership team regarding efforts to provide high quality and safe healthcare. The CMO will be responsible for providing leadership, direction, and administration of medical management, as well as the integration, coordination and improvement of clinical care and patient safety for healthcare operations. The CMO will be responsible for guiding the development and implementation of medical policies, practices and clinical programs system wide. The CMO provides administrative oversight for assigned areas, including: Medical Staff, Quality, Inpatient Care Management, CMS Compliance and Infection Prevention. The CMO reports directly to the CEO of St. Peter’s Health, and serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) for designated healthcare operations, building and supporting effective collegial relationships with internal and external stakeholders and ensuring optimal operating effectiveness and strategic positioning.

The CMO assists the medical staff and hospital/clinic management in fulfilling their obligations to each other and their responsibilities to patients for the provision of quality care. The CMO works closely with the Chief of Staff, the Medical Staff Executive Committee, The Chief Nursing Officer, Management, and other physician leaders, including department and committee chairs and medical directors. This person must be responsive to the concerns and needs of medical staff members and is expected to foster and contribute to a close and mutually beneficial relationship between the medical staff and leadership teams.

The CMO is ultimately responsible for the preparation and continual readiness of St. Peter’s as it relates to the DNV and CMS standards and survey(s).

The Ideal Candidate:

• Able to attain a Montana License to practice medicine.
• This physician should be board certified with at least five to ten years of experience in a clinical practice setting in addition to more than five years of administrative/leadership experience.
• The position requires both clinical practice and leadership experience.
• This physician will be board certified with at least five to ten years of experience in a clinical practice setting in addition to more than five years of administrative experience.
• The successful candidate will be a highly regarded as a physician leader, possess excellent facilitation and relationship skills and have knowledge of hospital finances.
• The physician will have prior experience with hospital regulatory compliance, quality improvement and process improvement.

The Organization:

St. Peter's Health is a $370M+ net revenue, nonprofit health care system located in Helena, Montana. Services include but are not limited to a 99-bed acute care hospital, physician clinics, 24-bed behavioral health unit, urgent care clinics, home health and hospice care, cancer care, dialysis and ambulance services. St. Peter’s Health provides services to an estimated 97,000 residents from a five-county area (Lewis and Clark, Broadwater, Powell, Meagher and Jefferson counties). The organization is overseen by a volunteer board of directors that includes leaders and health experts who are committed to ensuring the organization provides exceptional health care to its community.

In 2025, St. Peter’s Health was named again as a Chartis Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital and received Orthopedic Center of Excellence designation by DNV Healthcare.

The Location:

Helena, Montana, is Montana’s Capital City and located between Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park. Helena has a rich gold rush history, and exploring Last Chance Gulch brings the history to life. Designated a ride center by the International Mountain Biking Association, Helena has over 75 miles of trails that originate in the Downtown area, offering visitors a world-class mountain biking or hiking experience.

Please direct all inquiries, applications, and referrals to: 

Richard Heishman

richard.heishman@amnhealthcare.com

About B.E. Smith Leadership Solutions, Executive and Physician Leadership Search 

B.E. Smith Leadership Solutions, Executive and Physician Leadership Search, is a retained executive search firm serving the healthcare and life sciences industries. Ranked as one of the top healthcare recruiting firms in the country, B.E. Smith Leadership Solutions, is known for leading healthcare into the future by its growing base of clients across the country, drawing on a national pool of candidates.