Methodist Hospital CIO Randy McCleese has been named the 2017 CIO of the Year by HIMSS and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
McCleese oversees health IT functions at the 192-bed rural hospital in Henderson, Kentucky, where he led initiatives focused on improving patient care and efficiency. He joined Methodist Hospital in April 2017 after 15 years as the vice president of information services and CIO at St. Claire Regional Medical Center located outside of Lexington.
The boards of CHIME and HIMSS selected McCleese for his ability to manage “herculean tasks” with limited resources while advocating for rural health systems in front of lawmakers in Washington. McCleese said he is heavily involved in providing support for ambulatory clinics to support patients who can't drive long distances to receive medical care.
“Randy proves that you don’t have to be from a large organization to have a big impact in our industry,” Russell Branzell, president and CEO of CHIME, said in an announcement.
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“Randy McCleese represents the highest standards of leadership, working with local, regional and state representatives to advocate and advance the value of digital technologies in improving the health of patients at his hospital and beyond,” added Hal Wolf III, president and CEO of HIMSS.
The award is named for John E. Gall Jr., who pioneered health information systems in the 1960s. Last year’s honor went to Pamela Arora, CIO of Dallas-based Children’s Health.