13k+
Team Members
6
Hospitals
$2.42B
Annual Revenue
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"I am committed to leading with integrity, humility, and compassion — putting the interests of our patients and organization before my own."
Max drives a culture of measurable accountability — setting performance standards that are bold, transparent, and tied directly to patient outcomes and organizational health.
Whether launching virtual care command centers, pioneering multi-specialty super clinics, or co-founding the Alliance for Healthcare Education, Max bets early and moves fast.
Workforce development isn't a department — it's the strategic center of CoxHealth's plan. Under Max's leadership, CoxHealth has earned five consecutive Best Places to Work distinctions.
Every rung of Max Buetow's career was earned inside the organizations he served. From overnight production supervisor to CEO of Missouri's largest employer — in just over a decade — his ascent is a masterclass in relentless execution and earned trust.
Max made workforce the centerpiece of his first strategic plan — investing in career ladders, the Center for Professional Development, CoxHealth Young Professionals, and transparent annual engagement surveys. The results speak in rankings: five consecutive Modern Healthcare Best Places to Work designations, Newsweek's Greatest Workplaces for Women & Diversity, and Forbes Best Employers by State — Missouri.
CoxHealth earned a spot on Fortune's America's Most Innovative Companies list in 2025 — driven by the Virtual Care Team Command Center, an annual Innovation Accelerator program, the Epic EHR transition, and new pediatric care partnerships. Max's approach: move fast, learn faster, and never let comfort zone define the ceiling.
As a founding board member and CEO champion, Max helped create the Alliance for Healthcare Education — a four-organization coalition dedicated to growing the regional healthcare workforce from the ground up. The initiative addresses the systemic talent pipeline challenge facing Southwest Missouri for the next generation.
Under Max's leadership, CoxHealth has grown to $2.42B in annual operating revenue while expanding its workforce to over 13,600 employees. New clinics in Branson, expanded super clinic footprints, and an Epic EHR migration reflect a system investing boldly in its infrastructure and future.
CoxHealth · Springfield, Missouri
Max Buetow leads Springfield's largest employer with a vision rooted in people, powered by innovation, and anchored to a community CoxHealth has served since 1906.
Learn more at CoxHealth.com