Ralph Johnson named CIO of the Year

FARMINGTON – The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) New England Chapter, named Ralph Johnson, chief information officer (CIO) at Franklin Community Health Network (FCHN), as the New England HIMSS CIO of the Year at its annual holiday social and awards event on Dec. 13 in West Newton, Mass.

“This award comes from our membership and is based on Johnson’s work with the chapter and with health information technology (IT) across the region,” said Lisa Ewing, HIMSS past president and HSAE chair. “In addition to his many contributions in the IT world, Johnson also serves on the New England Chapter HIMSS board as president-elect.”

Johnson has worked in the health care information technology field for 28 years, most of that time in leadership positions at Maine hospitals. He is a volunteer advisor for HealthInfoNet, Maine’s statewide health information exchange and additionally serves as a board member with the ConnectME Authority, advancing the adoption of broadband technology in rural areas of Maine.

At FCHN and at Franklin Memorial Hospital (FMH), Johnson has led major IT initiatives to improve patient safety. In the last year alone, computerized physician order entry (CPOE) was initiated and 80 percent of the physicians who provide care in the hospital have been trained and are using this system that improves patient safety and care. CPOE decreases delays in medical treatment, reduces errors related to handwriting or transcription, provides error checking for duplicate or incorrect doses or tests, and prompts for additional treatment.

Johnson is a certified health care CIO from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and the first health system CIO in Maine to earn the designation.

HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of health care. HIMSS frames and leads health care practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, research initiatives, and media vehicles designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care.