Leadership role
Chief Quality Officer
Directs an organization's quality program, measuring and improving the quality and safety of its services.
Reporting and scope
Reports to the Executive Director / CEO, COO or Medical Director / CMO, with regular reports to the board's quality committee. Authority covers quality and safety across all services.
Core responsibilities
- Sets quality and patient or client safety goals
- Measures outcomes and reports them to the board and regulators
- Prepares for accreditation surveys such as those by The Joint Commission or CARF
- Leads investigations of serious incidents and corrective actions
- Oversees reporting for value-based payment programs
- Trains staff in improvement methods
How it differs
The VP of Quality and Director of Quality lead the function at a lower level. The Chief Compliance Officer focuses on legal and regulatory adherence, and the Chief Risk Officer on liability and enterprise risk.
By organization size
The title is concentrated in hospitals and health systems. In smaller behavioral health or social service agencies a quality director covers the work.
Filings from the last five years mapped to this role commonly report titles such as: Chief Quality Officer; Chief Quality & Compliance Officer; Chief Quality and Compliance Officer; VP Chief Quality Officer; Chief Quality Assurance Officer; EVP/Chief Quality Officer