CIO of the Year, Rick Schooler, on HIT

Rick Schooler, FCHIME is CIO and vice president at Orlando Health. He has been named the 2011 John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives.

In an interview with HealthLeaders Media, Rick Schooler, 54, discussed his career and the prospects for information technology in healthcare over the next decade.

The lifetime achievement award is sponsored by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. The boards for both organizations select the annual winner.

The honor recognizes health IT executives who have made significant contributions to their organization and demonstrated innovative leadership through effective use of technology. It is named for the late John E. Gall Jr., who pioneered implementation of the first fully integrated medical information system in the world at California's El Camino Hospital in the 1960s.

On receiving the John E. Gall Jr. award:

"I have not accomplished anything without a lot of good teammates, a lot of good colleagues, and a lot of good support. But the award is targeted to an individual and it reflects that you have been through the throes of healthcare IT. You have transformed healthcare organizations. You're recognized as an industry thought leader. I am on a list of very good folks. I am the 23rd recipient and I know 20 of the people who have received this award."