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MDH Names Chief Medical Officer

Rich Egger
Dr. Ed Card in his office

McDonough District Hospital in Macomb has operated without a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for much of its history. But that is changing.

The hospital’s Board of Directors agreed to appoint Dr. Ed Card to the position. He has worked at MDH since 1984.

Card said he will handle numerous duties as CMO, including ensuring that the medical staff’s clinical concerns are heard by the administration.

“The hospital governance is under two separate headings. One is the medical staff, which is an independent entity unto itself. And the other is hospital administration,” said Card.

“This position (Chief Medical Officer) is an administration position which coordinates with the medical staff so that we have a little tighter relationship between administration and the medical staff.”

Card said the hospital’s board will review the position and his performance after one year. 

He said MDH briefly had a CMO in the past but it wasn’t considered beneficial at that time. He said federal reporting requirements have increased through the years and now most hospitals have a CMO to help with such duties.

“In some of the smaller hospitals it may be a more informal position. In larger hospitals, it’s a full-time position with a staff of people.  I think we’re at a size where, at least initially, a part-time assignment makes a lot of sense,” he said.

Card said he will continue his practice and will still serve as the hospital’s Chief of Surgery. He said he has been handling some of the CMO duties on an unofficial basis; now they are officially his responsibility.         

Card is a past president of the Illinois Surgical Society, he has twice served as the MDH Medical Staff President, and he has held other positions at MDH and with statewide medical groups.

This story was produced by Tri States Public Radio.  TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the important issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.