Chief Medical Officer - Acute Care

Baptist Health Care (BHC) has partnered with WittKieffer to recruit its next Chief Medical Officer, Acute Care (CMO, Acute Care). BHC seeks a dynamic physician executive with a strong commitment to delivering high-quality care to the communities it serves and a proven ability to improve systems, quality, and outcomes. The successful candidate will serve as a unifying leader across the organization, bringing exceptional communication skills, high emotional intelligence, and the ability to build trust and alignment among diverse stakeholders.

Since welcoming its first patient on October 17, 1951, Baptist Health Care has been deeply committed in a mission to help people through life's journey while serving as a trusted partner for improving the quality of life in the communities they serve.  What began as a single hospital in Pensacola has grown into a trusted, community-centered health system with a 75-year legacy of compassion, innovation, and clinical excellence. Today, Baptist Health Care includes three hospitals, four medical parks, the internationally recognized Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, and a comprehensive network of primary care and specialty physicians. Across all sites, care is delivered by highly skilled and dedicated teams committed to patient-centered service, safety, and clinical excellence.

Baptist Health Care is proud to be the region’s only remaining not?for?profit health system that is both based in and led from within Northwest Florida. With corporate leadership and decision-making firmly rooted in Pensacola, the organization maintains a community-first governance model that ensures local needs shape care delivery, investments, and strategic priorities.

Reporting to the System Chief Medical Officer, the CMO, Acute Care will advance safe, high-quality, and efficient patient care through close collaboration with medical staff, administration, and governing bodies. The role oversees key medical affairs functions including credentialing, privileging, FPPE and OPPE processes, hospital-based physician contracts, and medical staff governance, while ensuring regulatory and accreditation compliance. The CMO will also support hospital operations, lead medical staff departments, oversee education, and serve as a trusted liaison between physicians and senior leadership to promote engagement, alignment, and shared accountability.

The ideal candidate will be a clinically credible physician leader with progressive executive experience and a demonstrated track record of driving organizational change, advancing quality, and fostering a culture of high reliability within a complex healthcare environment. They will demonstrate a strong record of building productive physician relationships and a deep alignment with BHC's mission, vision, and values. Candidates must hold an M.D. or D.O., have completed an ACGME-accredited residency, and maintain active board certification in their specialty. An advanced degree in healthcare administration or business is strongly preferred.

To learn more about this exciting position, provide confidential nominations or express interest please contact Aaron Mitra, Holly Nandan, Kyle Wiederhold, and Alana Penley by clicking here, or via email at apenley@wittkieffer.com.