It's not something you hear every day, a hospital CEO exits their role to become a chief medical officer. But for Stephen Toadvine, MD, that scenario became the reality and calling that he could not ignore.
Dr. Toadvine served as CEO of Harrison Memorial Hospital in Cynthiana, Ky., for just over three years when he felt a pull back to direct patient care, something he had done for more than 16 years before switching to the administrative side of healthcare in 2006.
"[I] never really knew whether I would end up getting back to patient care or not, but certainly always missed it and had some desire to return to it," Dr. Toadvine told Becker's. "The timing was never right, and the jobs I took really didn't allow me the time to see patients directly."
Luckily for Dr. Toadvine, the stars eventually aligned.
Dr. Toadvine transitioned to CMO of Harrison Memorial and re-entered direct patient care as a primary provider within the hospital's physician group in early June. The hospital's former COO and chief nursing officer, Kathy Tussey, DNP, RN, took over the role as hospital CEO.
"It feels very exciting and kind of invigorating. It kind of makes me feel a little bit younger, to tell you the truth," he said.
Dr. Toadvine and the hospital's new CEO, Dr. Tussey, have worked together for many years and have a strong relationship. He has worked with Dr. Tussey to ensure a smooth transition and to tie up any loose ends that might need attention.
"She reported to me a couple months ago, now I report to her," Dr. Toadvine said. "I think we have a good enough relationship to be able to handle that. I understand that she's the boss, and that's the way it's going to be."
While the hospital itself is in a solid place and has made progress over the last few years, the community that it serves was also in need of more family doctors after one had left and another was deployed by the army.
"As a CEO, I needed another family doctor in town, and I chose myself," Dr. Toadvine said.
In his new role, Dr. Toadvine now spends most of his days working with patients. To prepare for reentering patient care, he spent time over the last few months educating himself and shadowing other doctors at the hospital. But much of it came down to muscle memory.
Something that did take a little getting used to was the advancements in technology for providers, like the electronic health record system. However, as far as patient care goes, Dr. Toadvine was pleased to see the increased transparency in patient provider relationships.
While he admits that the mission is the same for a CEO and CMO, to care for people, the CEO role is more operational, dealing with the logistics and daily management of a hospital's functions.
"My direct responsibility has changed, but the overall healthcare mission is the same," he said.
Dr. Toadvine said he's excited by the opportunity for a career change — an opportunity that has brought him full circle.
"It's the way I want to finish my career," he said. "It's the way I started my career, so it's the way I'd like to finish it. Seeing patients."