Dr. McLaughlin leads clinical strategy and quality initiatives across Orlando Health’s East Florida Region, providing physician-executive leadership for two hospitals and serving as a key liaison between medical staff and senior leadership following Orlando Health’s 2024 acquisition of the facilities. In this role, he focuses on integrating the medical staff and aligning clinical operations with Orlando Health’s systemwide standards, ensuring consistent implementation of evidence-based protocols to support patient safety, quality and operational efficiency. He also functions as the region’s chief quality officer, building governance structures and supporting continuous improvement while coaching physicians and clinical teams to strengthen accountability and professionalism. After returning from retirement, he launched three targeted committees in under a year focused on reducing readmissions, mortality and falls, and established multidisciplinary quality councils to accelerate improvement across both hospitals. Previously, he served as chief medical officer for a large regional health system, where he exceeded length-of-stay goals across four hospitals and led a hand-hygiene protocol that increased compliance from 55% to 93% in six months, contributing to a 30% reduction in MRSA infections. A general surgeon by training, he practiced in Florida’s Brevard County for more than 25 years, including being the county’s first surgeon to perform a laparoscopic cholecystectomy and completing more than 5,000 procedures. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
