St. Edward hires new chief medical officer

Dr. William V. Walker has been named chief medical officer (CMO) for St. Edward Mercy. He will began his tenure in mid-February.

“The Sisters of Mercy Healthcare System is a phenomenal regional healthcare provider, and St. Edward Mercy is an important part of that System,” Walker said in a statement. “I look forward to serving the physicians, nurses, staff, patients and visitors of this community.”

Walker earned his undergraduate degree and his medical degree from Washington
University in St. Louis. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of
Missouri in Columbia. He is board certified in internal medicine and has worked as an Intensivist at St. Joseph Health Center and Hospital West in St. Charles, Mo.

In 2000, Walker founded Midwest Healthcare Coding, providing services to physicians and hospitals across with the nation with a predominance in Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas. Walker is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.  
 
Walker and his wife of 20 years, Nancy, have two children: Clare, 12, and Joe, 11.
 
Fort Smith-based St. Edward Mercy Medical Center, the flagship hospital of the St. Edward Mercy Health System, and operates in a market of 400,000 residents in 13 counties. The Health System also includes three satellite facilities: Mercy Hospital/Turner Memorial in Ozark; North Logan Mercy Hospital in Paris, and Mercy Hospital of Scott County in Waldron. Additionally, the system includes medical clinics in Charleston, Fort Smith, Mansfield, Paris, Van Buren, and Waldron.