Are you responsible for medical director duties in anatomic pathology--and why should you care?

For many pathologists, the roles of the medical director are not clearly distinguished from other medical leadership and management duties, such as those of the chair of pathology or a section head of anatomic pathology. We describe the evolution in the understanding of the roles of the medical director as defined by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 and separate from the roles of the chair of pathology, department chair, division chair, and a section head in anatomic pathology in our institution. Delineation of the roles of medical director, department chair, chair of anatomic pathology division, and a section head of a subdivision in anatomic pathology has helped us to understand the roles and ensure that all duties are fulfilled for patient care and for compliance and regulation.