Holy Cross Health, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based healthcare provider with a 557-bed hospital, offers an intriguing new approach to delivering top-notch healthcare effectively and efficiently. The organization, part of the Trinity Health community, has introduced a dual role as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO), taking a path rarely taken within the healthcare industry. This exceptional structure allows the synthesis of clinical care management with operational leadership, offering an innovative way to bridge the gap between healthcare practitioners and operational decision-making.
Scripps Health is among the few health systems that have already implemented such a structure, with Ghazala Sharieff, MD, MBA, serving as the Chief Medical and Operations Officer of Acute Care, and Anil Keswani, MD, serving a similar role within Ambulatory Care. At Holy Cross Health, this dual role is filled by Jose Lopez, MD, MBA, who has been serving as the CMO since 2021. He took on the added responsibilities of COO as of July 6, 2025. Lopez emphasises that uniting these positions has numerous advantages, particularly in facilitating synergetic connections between care providers and department leaders.
Using infection prevention as an instance, Lopez indicates that often overlooked aspects of hospital operations – such as temperature and humidity control – can drastically impact infection rates. By serving in this dual capacity, unique vantage points on both clinical and operational dimensions are available, making it easier to drive efficacious changes. Other factors crucial for running a hospital, such as cleanliness and comfort of care environments from both patient and staff perspectives, can be more readily influenced by someone in this position.
The dual role provides an opportunity to identify, address and manage improvement opportunities both from an environmental quality perspective and in critical operations like functioning of call centres, that directly influence patient experience. This duality also facilitates a united front among operational and clinical staff, ensuring a team-oriented approach in healthcare, enhancing mutual support.
Lopez believes that clinical excellence combined with robust operations leads to better financial performance. He intends to continue focusing on clinical performance and enhance cost management in his augmented role. Lopez’s guiding principle asserts that effective cost control, through suitable and timely care provisioning, ensures robust financial performance. The holistic view adopted by Holy Cross Health through this structural transformation promises to bear fruitful results.