Hijinio Carreon, D.O.’03, accepted the position of chief medical officer (CMO) of MercyOne Central Iowa, effective Oct. 14. He has been serving as CMO on an interim basis since August.
A proven leader with a reputation as a trusted and collaborative partner, Carreon will continue to influence positive change as CMO, with a focus on increasing physician engagement, patient satisfaction, safety and overall clinical quality. In his new role, he will oversee clinical operations for the medical staff, serving as an advocate for all physicians, providers and allied professionals. He will also play a principal role in cultivating future health care leaders by directing residency programs for family medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, plastic surgery and psychiatry.
Carreon has been with MercyOne since 2007, leading improvement initiatives throughout his tenure. As co-medical director of emergency medicine at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, he assisted in the development of a strategy to decrease the number of patients who left without being seen, utilizing data analytics to improve provider coverage and patient throughput. He also developed medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction and alternatives to decrease opioid prescribing. While serving as CMO at MercyOne Newton, IA, Medical Center, Carreon helped create the pain management service line and established an inpatient hospital program with virtual overnight coverage.
Prior to these positions, Carreon served as medical director of the MercyOne air ambulance program and director of Mercy College of Health Sciences School of EMS.
