The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) have chosen Randy McCleese, MSIS, MBA, former CHIME board chair and chief information officer at Methodist Hospital in Henderson, Ky., as the recipient of the 2017 John E. Gall Jr. CIO of the Year award.

The health IT organizations cited McCleese’s work in advocating for small and rural systems in Washington, D.C., as well as expanding the knowledge of CHIME and HIMSS members on “how we can do more with less."

“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 a statement.

McCleese took over as CIO at Methodist in April 2017, overseeing all IT functions at a 192-bed acute care hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital and a network of 19 physician practices. He had previously served as vice president of information services and CIO at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead, Ky.

In those roles, CHIME and HIMSS said he’s “led strategic initiatives to bring innovations that improve efficiency and patient care to small and rural hospitals.”

“My sights are set on not just what is going on with technology or in the hospitals,” McCleese said in a statement. “I am heavily involved in the ambulatory area as well, in the clinics we have. Most of those patients can’t afford to drive 25 to 30 miles, or they are not able to drive 25 to 30 miles to the next biggest town.”

He’s also been active in HIMSS and CHIME for several years. He’s previously been honored for his state-level advocacy by CHIME, served on CHIME’s board from 2012 to 2015 and as board chair in 2014, as well as serving on the board of the Kentucky chapter of HIMSS, including a term as its president.