Chief Medical Information Officer

Blanchard Valley Health System has retained Kirby Partners to support its search for a Chief Medical Information Officer.

Based in Findlay, Ohio, Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS) is a not-for-profit integrated health system that provides comprehensive care to more than 200,000 residents in an eight-county region of Northwest Ohio.

The regional referral system comprises two hospitals, a full continuum of care for the senior living community, more than 30 provider clinics, and other healthcare services. Founded in 1891, the organization has provided exceptional community care for over 125 years. Throughout its history, BVHS has continued to grow and evolve with the changing needs of its community.

With the recent addition of Wellness Park, a new state-of-the-art multispecialty clinic, BVHS has grown its investment in primary care, and numerous upgrades will continue shaping the region’s premier cancer care destination.  BVHS also recently opened the first 12-bed acute rehabilitation unit in Hancock County. These enhancements are made possible by the collective support of its community.

BVHS is regionally known for its programs in cardiovascular care, oncology, orthopedics, women’s and children’s services, senior services, and behavioral health.

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Heart and Vascular Network

BVHS is proud to be a member of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Network. This collaboration enhances access to specialized cardiovascular care and connects seamlessly to one of the nation’s leading heart and vascular programs. Through this partnership, patients in the region benefit from advanced care delivered close to home.

BVHS continues to offer expert general and interventional cardiology services while expanding care in key areas such as cardio-oncology, cardiac electrophysiology, advanced cardiac imaging, and vascular screenings. These services play a critical role in the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of heart and vascular conditions.

Patients throughout Northwest Ohio benefit from strong local expertise supported by trusted clinical partnerships. BVHS collaborates closely with other healthcare systems to coordinate care for patients requiring open-heart surgery, ensuring that while complex procedures may take place elsewhere, most pre- and post-operative care remains local. This approach helps patients stay connected to the providers they know and trust while accessing advanced levels of care.

BVHS’s commitment remains focused on maintaining local access to high-quality heart and vascular services while continuing to grow both preventive and interventional offerings. Through the partnership with Ohio State and ongoing investment in specialized services, BVHS is advancing cardiovascular care across the region.

Mayo Clinic Care Network

BVHS is the first Ohio-based healthcare facility to become a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a group of carefully vetted, independent healthcare systems that have special access to Mayo Clinic’s knowledge and expertise. BVHS physicians combine their understanding of their patients’ medical needs with Mayo Clinic expertise so patients receive precisely the care they need close to home at no additional cost to them.

As a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, BVHS has access to:

• AskMayoExpert: A point-of-care tool that offers concise clinical information on hundreds of conditions, and includes protocols, treatment recommendations, and medical references.
• eConsults: Enables BVHS physicians to contact Mayo Clinic specialists for second opinions on specific cases when they believe additional input will benefit their patients.
• eBoards: Live video conferences enable the BVHS medical teams to review and discuss complex cases with a Mayo Clinic multidisciplinary panel and other doctors in the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

The culture at BVHS values integrity, compassion, skill, collaboration, innovation, and humor. BVHS looks for candidates to fill more than just a role; they look for partners to help grow their organization and further their mission of “Caring for a lifetime.”

BVHS was named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list for the seventh consecutive year, recognizing its commitment to high-quality patient-centered care.

Position Overview

The Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) serves as the strategic and operational bridge between clinical practice and health information technology, ensuring that digital solutions enable high‑quality, safe, and efficient patient care. As a physician leader, the CMIO champions the optimization and adoption of clinical information systems, translates frontline clinical needs into effective technology strategies, and guides system‑wide initiatives that advance clinical excellence, provider engagement, and data‑driven decision‑making. Collaborating with medical staff, operational leaders, IT, quality, and informatics teams, the CMIO plays a critical role in aligning technology investments with organizational goals, regulatory requirements, and the evolving needs of patients and clinicians.

This position reports to the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) of Blanchard Valley Health System, with a dotted line reporting relationship to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

Responsibilities:

1. Lead the clinical informatics and training teams by setting strategy, priorities, and performance expectations; ensuring appropriate resourcing, and driving consistent execution and outcomes.
2. Establish and operate effective clinical informatics and AI governance (intake, prioritization, decision rights, standards, and oversight) to enable timely decisions, reduce variation, and prevent bottlenecks.
3. Lead enterprise adoption and scaling of clinical AI by defining clinical use cases, ensuring safety and compliance guardrails, monitoring performance and unintended consequences, and driving measurable value realization.
4. Drive EHR modernization and ongoing optimization to improve usability, efficiency, and clinician experience through clinician-informed governance, transparent prioritization, and disciplined change management.
5. Standardize clinical workflows where it improves patient safety, quality, compliance, and operational efficiency while respecting specialty needs; define success metrics and ensure measurable improvement in provider experience and workflow performance.
6. Build and sustain credibility and trust with physicians, clinical leaders, operational partners, and executive leadership through effective communication, visibility, and effective change leadership.
7. Partner with Quality, Safety, Compliance, and Risk to ensure clinical system design supports patient safety, regulatory requirements, and high-reliability practices (e.g., order sets, alerts, documentation standards).
8. Own clinician adoption, proficiency, and satisfaction outcomes for clinical systems by partnering with training, operations, and IT to develop role-based education, at-the-elbow support, and feedback loops.
9. Define and track informatics performance measures (quality, safety, efficiency, experience) and use clinical and operational data to prioritize work, monitor outcomes, and communicate progress to stakeholders.
10. Lead and oversee clinical interoperability and information exchange across systems (e.g., HL7/FHIR interfaces, HIE participation, and internal/external data sharing) to support continuity of care, regulatory compliance, and high-quality clinical workflows.
11. Serve as a key clinical leader for major health IT initiatives (upgrades, new modules, integrations, digital/front-door solutions), including vendor partnership, clinical readiness, go-live support, and post-implementation optimization.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Practicing physician with recent frontline clinical experience and strong peer credibility, Board-certified in a clinical specialty.
• Willingness to maintain a limited clinical practice (approximately one week per month or equivalent) and obtain and maintain licensure in the State of Ohio.
• 5+ years of progressive management/leadership experience.
• Experience in both inpatient and ambulatory clinical workflows.
• Experience leading clinical informatics or EHR optimization work with evidence of delivery.
• Comfort operating in a CIO-led model with a close, dotted-line partnership with the CMO.
• Ability to translate clinical priorities into executable IT work.
• Strong provider engagement skills, including listening, trust-building, and managing change.
• Ability to partner with the analytics team and utilize clinical and operational data to inform decisions and guide improvement work.
• Experience aligning informatics initiatives with quality, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Positive service-oriented interpersonal and communication skills required.
• Must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patient served on his/her assigned unit/department. The individual must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient’s status. Must be able to interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient’s requirements relative to their age-specific needs and to provide the care needed as described in the area’s policies and procedures.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience serving as a CMIO or Associate CMIO.
• Experience working in a dyad or triad leadership model (e.g., CIO/CMO/CNO).
• Deep, hands-on experience with a major EHR platform.
• Formal informatics training and/or board certification.
• Experience with clinical AI and/or advanced clinical decision support.
• Participation in external informatics forums and/or professional thought leadership activities.

Location:

• Must reside within a commutable distance of Findlay, OH, or be willing to relocate.

About Findlay, Ohio

Photos: Visit Findlay Facebook Group

Best of both worlds

Nestled on the banks of the Blanchard River, 45 miles south of Toledo and within a short drive of Columbus, Dayton, and Detroit, Findlay offers the perfect balance of small town charm and big city access. Findlay boasts one of the most vibrant business atmospheres of any small town in the U.S. and is home to Marathon Petroleum Corporation, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, and Whirlpool Corporation. Findlay ranked number two this year out of 543 qualifying communities in Site Selection Magazine’s ratings of Top Micropolitan Cities in the United States. Prior to this year, Findlay was ranked No. 1 for an unprecedented 11 years in a row.

Strong educational system

Hancock County includes seven school districts and numerous parochial schools that boast high academic achievement, excellent teacher-to-student ratios, and a wealth of extra-curricular activities. The town is home to the University of Findlay, a private liberal arts college known for its quality education and equestrian studies programs.

Great quality of life

The county offers year-round outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the Hancock Park District that include hiking and biking trails and scenic water trails for boating and kayaking along the Blanchard River. Riverbend Recreation Area is ideal for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter months. The city consistently ranks as one of the most affordable cities in the state and overall in the country, with low home prices and a cost of living that is more than 20% below the national average.

Procedure for Candidacy

Final candidates should expect two interviews with Kirby Partners recruiters (including a video conference interview). You may be asked to complete our “Executive Profile” and submit references to be considered for presentation to the search committee.