Palmetto Health announces the appointment of Mark Williams, M.D., as its first Chief Clinical Officer
April 6, 2017
COLUMBIA, SC – Palmetto Health has announced the appointment of Mark Williams, M.D., as its first Chief Clinical Officer. Williams joins Palmetto Health from Brookwood Baptist Health in Birmingham, Alabama, where he has served as chief physician executive since 2014. Brookwood Baptist Health is part of the joint venture between Tenet Healthcare and Baptist Health System, Alabama’s second largest health system.
Prior to that role, Williams spent seven years with North Mississippi Health Services in Tupelo, Mississippi, as chief medical officer and interim chief executive officer. North Mississippi Health Services is the largest rural health system in the United States and the recipient of the 2006 and 2012 National Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for quality and organizational performance excellence. In addition to his health care system experience, Williams also served as chief executive officer at Southern Perioperative Services in Birmingham, a single-specialty physician group.
Charles D. Beaman, Jr., Palmetto Health CEO, said, “By creating the role of chief clinical officer, we are embarking on a new chapter in transforming the health care experience. Dr. Williams will serve as our clinical strategist, driving innovative care delivery and championing clinical quality and service excellence.”
Williams earned his medical degree from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in Mobile. He completed an internship in general surgery, a residency year in internal medicine, and then an anesthesiology residency where he served as chief resident – all at University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham. In addition to his medical education, he also holds degrees in business and law, including an MBA from Samford University, Birmingham, and a juris doctorate from the University of Alabama School of Law.
Williams will collaborate with clinical leaders to help improve care coordination and integration across the health care system. He will guide the quality journey, helping streamline systems and processes to reduce unwarranted clinical variation and improve patient safety. He is committed to developing effective physician leaders and will bring his passion for physician coaching and education to the medical staff.
About Palmetto Health
Palmetto Health, the largest health care system in the South Carolina Midlands region and one of the state’s largest employers, comprises more than 15,000 team members, physicians and volunteers working together to fulfill Palmetto Health’s Vision: To be remembered by each patient as providing the care and compassion we want for our families and ourselves. The system includes six acute-care hospitals in the Midlands—Palmetto Health Baptist, Palmetto Health Baptist Parkridge, Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital, Palmetto Health Heart Hospital, Palmetto Health Richland and Palmetto Health Tuomey.
