What to Look For When Placing a Your Multi-site Healthcare Organization’s New COO

In healthcare’s complex and ever-evolving field, having a strong leadership team is essential for success. In working with multi-site organizations, especially organizations that are actively acquiring new practices, we’ve found that hiring the right Chief Operating Officer (COO) is absolutely critical.  Not only do they play a critical role in managing the day-to-day operations of the organization, but they also help to unify the organization’s structure across new and existing sites. Read on for our insights in what to look for when placing a new COO in your organization. 

Responsibilities of a COO in the Healthcare Industry

The COO is responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the healthcare organization’s operations. Their responsibilities include overseeing the delivery of high-quality patient care, managing operational and administrative functions, and developing and implementing strategies to improve efficiency and productivity. In order to perform these functions for your organization well, look for some of these key characteristics.

Strong Leadership Skills: Your candidate should have strong leadership skills, including the ability to inspire and motivate others, delegate tasks effectively, and provide clear direction to a team. 

Strategic Thinking: Look for strong strategic thinking skills, including the ability to develop and implement long-term plans and to identify and seize opportunities for growth and improvement.

Operational Expertise: Be sure to find a candidate with a deep understanding of the healthcare industry’s operations and the factors that impact its success. They should be able to manage complex systems and processes and identify areas for improvement.

Collaboration Skills: Don’t underestimate the importance of collaboration. The candidate should be able to work closely with other leaders to align goals, share information, and facilitate communication across departments and teams.

Effective Communication Skills: The candidate should be an excellent communicator, able to convey complex information clearly and concisely to different audiences, including staff, patients, and stakeholders.

Results-Driven: As a growth-oriented company, you should find a candidate focused on achieving results and outcomes that align with your organization’s goals. They should be able to identify key performance indicators and monitor progress toward achieving them.

Adaptability: Finally, your candidate should be able to adapt to changing circumstances and environments, including emerging technologies, regulatory changes, and shifting market conditions.

How an executive recruiter can help

While this list may seem intimidating, and even unattainable, it IS possible to find a candidate that will not only meet your requirements but exceed them. The only catch? It will take a significant amount of time and effort on your part to locate, interview, vet, and select them. Luckily, that’s where an executive recruiter can come in. After getting to know you and your organization, an executive recruiter can take the search entirely off your hands.

Using their extensive network in the industry, an executive recruiter can attract top candidates, interview them, and even discreetly vet them. The recruiter can narrow the wide swath of applications into a curated list of 2-3 candidates who you can interview and select, saving you time and effort and helping you find the perfect match.

If you’re in need of a new COO, or any other C-suite or leadership position, Healthcare Talent Advisors would love to help you make the search process as seamless and easy as possible. Just schedule a free call with us to learn how we can help.