Hijinio Carreon, D.O. Named New MercyOne Central Iowa Chief Medical Officer

Des Moines, Iowa, October 11, 2019 – MercyOne Central Iowa is pleased to announce Hijinio Carrion, D.O. has accepted the position of chief medical officer (CMO).

Dr. Carreon will assume his new role effective Monday, 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, Dr. 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, Dr. Carreon will oversee clinical operations for our 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.

Dr. 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, Dr. Carreon 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 Medical Center, Dr. Carreon helped create the pain management service line, and established an inpatient hospital program with virtual overnight coverage. Prior to these positions, Dr. Carreon served as medical director of the MercyOne air ambulance program, and director of Mercy College of Health Sciences School of EMS.

About MercyOne Central Iowa

MercyOne Central Iowa operates four not-for-profit, Catholic medical centers in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Newton and Centerville (875 beds combined total) and two specialty hospitals – MercyOne Children’s Hospital in Des Moines and MercyOne Rehabilitation Hospital in Clive  –  along with more than 20 additional facilities that house more than 50 primary care, pediatric, internal medicine and specialty clinics. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1893, MercyOne Central Iowa has the longest continually operating hospital in Des Moines and is also one of the largest employers in the state,  with more than 7,000 employees and a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians and allied health associates. MercyOne Central Iowa is a member of MercyOne, which was founded in 1998 through a collaboration between CommonSpirit Health and Trinity Health – two of the country’s foremost, not-for-profit Catholic health organizations. The MercyOne system has more than 20,000 colleagues in Iowa and surrounding states.