The emergence of public health crises, rising healthcare costs, and a greater number of Americans suffering from chronic illnesses make having a Chief Medical Officer or Corporate Medical non-negotiable. That’s where the expertise of HealthNEXT and our team of NEXTperts come in.
NEXTperts are former Corporate Medical Directors (CMD) or Chief Medical Officers (CMO) for Fortune 500 companies that have leadership experience driving company-wide policies, strategies, and health and wellness initiatives. Now, as NEXTperts, they develop customized solutions for organizations large and small deploying a proprietary employer assessment to establish benchmark and a strategic plan to achieve a healthier and higher-performing workforce.
But what exactly is the role of a CMD, CMO, or NEXTpert? In the article co-authored by HealthNEXT NEXTpert, Cherryl Christensen, DO, MS, “Role and Value of the Corporate Medical Director,” you’ll learn more about the strength and importance that a Corporate Medical Director or Chief Medical Officer brings to business operations in support of a healthy, engaged, and high-performing workforce.
Published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, this article describes the role and value of the CMD while also providing insights and strategies gained from current and past highly experienced CMDs/CMOs.
Understanding the role and responsibility of a Corporate Medical Director or Chief Medical Officer
The expansive roles of the CMD/CMO are crucial to maintaining and enhancing not only occupational health but also personal and organizational health and well-being of employees.
The CMD/CMO provides insights and drives health and wellness initiatives within your organization to improve employee performance, reduce absenteeism, and control healthcare costs and high-cost claims. This is established through:
- First identifying the link between worker health and lost production then developing a health management strategy that encourages employee participation
- Reducing the risk of delayed or failed business initiatives through the use of a well-developed, evidence-based health and wellbeing processes
- Ensuring that both the employer and employees’ best interests are met through a holistic approach that involves HR, benefits, safety, PR, and legal departments
The value of a Corporate Medical Director or Chief Medical Officer
The Corporate Medical Director or Chief Medical Officer should provide measurable results that demonstrate how their role contributes to employee health, well-being, and productivity.
The fundamental behaviors and activities that make up an effective CMD/CMO and lead to proven positive outcomes for your organization include:
- Building a holistic business case – CMDs/CMOs are subject matter experts who are value-adding business partners, able to make the business case that benefits all interested parties to secure company-wide “buy-in” for appropriate investments
- Knowing your organization’s workforce – the CMD/CMO must meet the needs of your employees as well as the needs of their employer to ensure that the policies, practices, and cultural transformation improve not only the health of the workforce but also the company’s bottom line.
- Contributing to the business and the field – through sharing their work with the broader occupational and corporate health community, which has demonstrated the direct link between health and wellness programs and the bottom line of your business, your organization can be recognized as a benchmark organization attracting and retaining the best talent.
- Gaining trust – creating a personal connection with your employees and leadership, the CMD/CMO can work more effectively serving employees while bolstering the company’s corporate image, and setting sustainable corporate policies
- Maintaining clinical competency – your organization benefits the most from a CMD/CMO that is current in patient care and population health trends and research, as this knowledge helps to better address the prevention of illness, resulting in reduced absenteeism and increased presenteeism
- Staying on top of emerging priorities – CMDs play an essential role in evaluating issues that affect your business operation dynamically such as adjusting to the evolving Covid 19 pandemic and the concomitant mental health concerns including employee burnout of essential workers.
HealthNEXT’s role in your organization
Whether the role is referred to as a corporate medical director (CMD), chief medical officer (CMO), corporate physician executive, or NEXTpert, your organization benefits from the strength and innovation this role brings to your business operations to support a healthy, engaged, and high-performing workforce. Our NEXTperts take this role a step further with our Culture of Health program.
The Culture of Health program, driven by our team of NEXTperts made up of experienced Chief Medical Officers and specialty experts, guides organizations towards establishing a sustainable culture of health. The two-part program includes a proprietary, market-leading employer assessment that produces a benchmark and a comprehensive strategic plan that ensures ROI without missteps along the way.
The NEXTperts work with your team to understand your business goals and KPIs, resulting in a strategic plan to flatten your healthcare inflation, improve the health of your employees, and improves employee engagement at all levels of your organization. Learn more about the Culture of Health Program.
