In today’s podcast episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Rodolfo Garza, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at St. David’s Medical Center. During the interview, Dr. Garza explained his role as CMO, how he fosters collaboration between his job and emergency medicine physicians, and the biggest challenge facing doctors.

Meet Chief Medical Officer Dr. Garza – Emergency Medicine Memoirs

First, Dr. Garza explains his role as CMO of such a large hospital. He oversees the quality of care being given by, for example, analyzing the metrics of various treatments offered and seeing how they can be improved upon. He also serves as a liaison for questions for the medical staff. Lastly, he runs the business aspect of the hospital, managing deals and partnerships with companies providing medical equipment and such. Dr. Garza and all other CMOs play an incredibly multifaceted role in medicine. His role mirrors the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, which now has many parts to it aside from solely medicine.

Next, Dr. Garza discussed how the number of patients coming through the Emergency Department (ED) varies depending on the hospital’s location and abilities. He ensures that he works closely with the ED’s medical and nursing directors to ensure that the department runs as smoothly as possible.  Additionally, with new technology being implemented, Dr. Garza assists with sharing information about each patient back to the EMS providers so they can know what happened to the patient they brought in. By assisting with all these tasks, Dr. Garza ensures that the needs of the department and EMS providers are met.

Lastly, Dr. Garza spoke about the main challenge facing doctors: burnout. Many doctors worked tirelessly during the pandemic, and after almost four years, they never had the chance to come to terms with what happened before being forced to work overtime and extra shifts to meet the hospital’s needs. Dr. Garza stresses the importance of addressing burnout within the medical community and providing support systems to sustain the well-being of healthcare professionals.

Overall, Dr. Garza highlighted how, as a CMO, he provides support for the medical staff, analyzes patient care, and helps manage the business aspect of healthcare administration. He also discussed his work with the ED and what he believes is doctors’ most significant challenge. This interview underscores the multifaceted role of CMOs and their integral role in how hospitals function.