This report by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) outlines NASMHPD's vision for the role of the medical director in state mental health authority (SMHA). 

From the report:

The purpose of this document is to provide state policymakers with a description and recommendations regarding the roles and functions of the State Mental Health Authority (SMHA) Medical Directors. This "job description," has been developed by the NASMHPD Medical Directors’ Council and is based upon their collective experience over the past 15 years. Two surveys and a literature review were performed to more formally assess this issue. The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) is a 501(c) (3) that represents the $23 billion public mental health service delivery system serving 6.1 million people annually in all 50 states, 4 territories, and the District of Columbia. The NASMHPD Medical Directors Council's membership consists of the medical directors from state mental health authorities from across the country. The NASMHPD Medical Directors Council has developed over 18 technical papers over the past 12 years addressing key areas of clinical policies for the public mental health system including Polypharmacy, Pharmacy Utilization Management, Seclusion and Restraint, Prevention and Integrating Primary Care and Behavioral Health Systems and Reducing Excess Mortality in Persons with Severe Mental Illness. These technical papers have guided recent policy changes and practices in the public mental health system.

Full Report: The Role of the Medical Director in a State Mental Health Authority: A Guide for Policy Makers (PDF | 80.75 KB)

NASMHPD. (2009). The role of the medical director in a state mental health authority: a guide for policy makers.