Chief Medical Officer - Wheat Ridge, Colorado, , United States

At Jefferson Center, it is our policy and our mission to be inclusive and mindful of the diversity of everyone who comes through our doors. We are passionate about building a community where mental health matters and equitable care is accessible to all races, ethnicities, abiliti ...

Job description

At Jefferson Center, it is our policy and our mission to be inclusive and mindful of the diversity of everyone who comes through our doors. We are passionate about building a community where mental health matters and equitable care is accessible to all races, ethnicities, abilities, socioeconomic statuses, ages, sexual orientations, gender expressions, religions, cultures, and languages. 

Department: Medical Services   

Location: This is a remote position requiring MD or DO license in Colorado and a minimum expectation of being able to travel to Colorado to be on site periodically when needed for Senior Leadership Team meetings.     

Supervises: Medical Directors, Director of Nursing Services, Prescribers, including Psychiatrists and Advanced Practice Nurses    

Under the direction of the CEO, the CMO oversees Jefferson Center's medical operations, with a focus on supporting all medical services, including outpatient psychiatry, pharmacy, nursing, integrated care and other acute care related services. The CMO ensures clinical excellence, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency across medical services, while fostering collaboration with internal teams and external partners.

Education, Knowledge, Skills & Experience Required:

• MD or DO degree (or international equivalent). 
• Unrestricted Colorado medical license and DEA certificate. 
• Satisfactory completion of ACGME-accredited residency training program in Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine or similar. 
• Preferred - ACGME- accredited residency training program in General Psychiatry (adult psychiatrists) and in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (if a child and adolescent psychiatrist).
• ABPN Board-certification is desirable but not required.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) competency preferred

Physician must:     

• Understand and provide leadership to staff regarding community mental health systems of care. 
• Understand and provide leadership regarding healthcare transformation and integration across primary and specialty medical care, oral healthcare, behavioral healthcare, and other components of community systems of care. 
• Be knowledgeable and current regarding emergency medicine, inpatient medicine, psychopharmacology, medical/psychiatric interface; evidence-based neuropsychiatric/neurobehavioral diagnosis and treatment preferred.  
• Be able to provide leadership to/collaboration with multidisciplinary mental health teams in the delivery of comprehensive, integrated, and clinically appropriate interventions.   
• Be experienced in administration, clinical and administrative supervision, and systems management.   
• A minimum of 7-years of relevant experience in the aforementioned domains is required.   
• Demonstrated expertise in crisis services and medical regulatory compliance; substance use and addiction recovery experience preferred.  
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills, with ability to lead cross-functional teams.  

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical Oversight & Program Leadership  

• Provide effective medical leadership, guidance and supervision for center's prescribing staff, including Psychiatrists and Advanced Practice Nurses.   
• Supervise medical directors, director of nursing services, and assigned clinical directors and managers, ensuring coverage, quality, and coordination across programs.  
• Lead clinical evaluations and consults for admissions, including infectious disease screening and medical appropriateness assessments.  
• Co-lead Critical Incident Review Committee and Clinical Reviews to ensure quality medical and clinical services are provided. 
• Review and approve referrals for potential clients on Emergency Commitments, Involuntary Commitments, and Short- term Certifications with Court Ordered Meds.  
• Support implementation of evidence-based practices, including Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), trauma-informed care, Zero-Suicide initiative, outcomes measures including measurement-based care, and harm reduction strategies.  

Regulatory & Compliance  

• Ensure adherence to Behavioral Health Administration rules, Colorado Department of Human Services/Residential Child Care Facility licensure requirements and Volume 7 regulations, including staff adherence to required training, including CPR, First Aid, and Qualified Medication Administration Personnel training.    
• Collaborate with HR and program directors to embed compliance into hiring and auditing workflows including personnel file documentation and required pre-employment physicals.  
• Lead efforts to update and align medical and nursing documentation, policies, and naming conventions to match agency-wide requirements.  

Operational Strategy & Innovation  

• Engage actively, using a systems approach, in strategic planning and implementation.  
  Set operational and/or performance goals with department that are tied to organizational goals.  Monitors department performance against performance goals to ensure that progress is being made.  
• Lead development of workflows that improve access to medical services and streamline admissions, including direct admit protocols and prescreening tools.  
• Partner with community stakeholders to address barriers to care and enhance referral pathways.  
• Contribute to Monthly Business Reviews (MBRs), analyzing census, revenue, and staffing metrics to drive performance improvements.  

Technology & Systems  

• Ensure integration of medical workflows into systems like Avatar and key performance indicator dashboards.
• Ensure all medical staff are properly trained in the use of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and are adhering to the documentation requirements as set forth in Rule, Statute and Jefferson Center Policies & Procedures.   

Collaboration & Communication  

• Serve as a liaison between medical services and Executive Leadership Team (ELT), participating in ELT meetings, strategic planning.   
• Collaborate with Clinical Services, Operations, Administration/Finance and Business Development to align medical priorities with organizational goals.  
• Represent medical services in regulatory communications and community engagement efforts.  

Note: Employees are held accountable for all duties of this job.  This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job. 

Salary Range - $300,000 to $338,400* 

Additional Salary Information*: 

• The salary range above is based on 1.0 FTE (full time equivalent) or 40 hours per week. Less than 40 hours/week will be prorated and adjusted to the appropriate FTE. 
• Salaries at Jefferson Center are calculated based on education level, licensure, years of experience, and internal equity amongst current JCMH staff.  

Application Deadline: 02/18/2026. Review of applications will begin immediately.