What differentiates a chief facilities officer (CFO) from a facilities manager is the need to have a strategic vision for an increasingly decentralized network of facilities, according to an article on the Facility Care website.

“Generally speaking, a CFO … (has oversight of) a myriad of things that all come together to support the mission of the hospital. You’ve got to come there with a broader view, a strategic vision,” Leo Gehring, president of Gehring Health Facility Resources, said in the article.

CFOs can serve as a bridge between various departments, which requires them to understand some of what is occurring in each arena — a skillset becoming more valuable at all levels of facility management, the article said.

However, even without the CFO title, facility managers would benefit from a broad look at how their department interacts within the organization.

Read the article.