Edward W. Marx, senior vice president and chief information officer at Texas Health Resources, one of the largest faith-based, nonprofit healthcare delivery systems in the U.S., has been named the 2013 John E. Gall Jr. CIO of the Year, an award given jointly by CHIME and HIMSS.
Marx will receive the award – which recognizes health IT executives who have demonstrated innovative use of technology at their healthcare organizations – at the 2014 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition in Orlando next month.
"This prestigious award is the greatest professional honor I have received," said Marx, in a statement. "My world is rocked!"
He added that, "While I am humbled and grateful, this recognition is a collective reflection of Texas Health employees and clinicians, my team and the unconditional support from my wife Julie."
Marx's career in the healthcare industry spans nearly a quarter-century – 16 years of which have been spent as CIO. Concurrent with his career in healthcare, he served 15 years in the Army Reserve, first as a combat medic and then as a combat engineer officer.
[See also: James Turnbull named CIO of the Year.]
Marx has been leading Texas Health's innovative technology services professionals in developing and implementing strategies to enhance the patient and provider experience through the application of IT since 2007.
Prior to joining Texas Health, Marx was CIO of University Hospitals Health System of Cleveland. He previously served in a variety of IT leadership roles with healthcare organizations such as HCA, in Tennessee, and Parkview Episcopal Medical Center and Poudre Valley Health System, both in Colorado.
"It is with great pleasure that we are able to recognize Ed with the industry's highest honor," said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell, in a press statement. "His renowned career as a healthcare CIO and his record of progressive IT utilization will be valued far into the future.
"Ed's unique leadership style and approach to IT management, combined with his commitment to supporting the value of healthcare IT and promoting its effectiveness as a strategic asset, make him a worthy recipient of this prestigious award," he added. "He is an extraordinarily talented and innovative CIO, and we are thankful for his many contributions."
Marx has been a CHIME member since 2004 and a member of HIMSS since 1995. He became a HIMSS fellow in 1999 and a CHIME fellow in 2012. Marx has served in volunteer leadership positions for HIMSS at both the chapter and national levels.
He is also a faculty member of the CHIME Healthcare CIO Boot Camp, as well as a frequent conference speaker for both organizations, blogger and social media enthusiast. Marx has served as the Texas CIO Coordinator for CHIME StateNet since its inception in 2009 and in 2012 was awarded the organization's annual State Advocacy Award for his commitment to the growth and success of statewide initiatives to further the advancement of health information exchange and health IT adoption in his home state of Texas. Marx is also the governor-appointed chairman of the Texas Health Services Authority, a role he has served since 2010.
[See also: Rick Schooler: CIO of the Year.]
Under Marx's leadership, Texas Health Resources received the 2013 HIMSS Enterprise Davies Award, which recognizes the use of health IT and the electronic health record to improve healthcare delivery processes and patient safety, and achieve a demonstrated return on investment.
In addition, the 14 hospitals in the Texas Health system are either at Stage 6 or Stage 7 on the HIMSS Analytics/directory/analytics" target="_blank" class="directory-item-link">Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model. Marx serves as reviewer for the conference education sessions and HIMSS Analytics on-site reviewer for verification of Stage 7 hospitals. And he continues to provide his expertise to others as a HIMSS Executive e-Mentor.
"As a HIMSS fellow and health IT leader throughout his career, Ed's contributions to HIMSS are noteworthy because he has given back to so many people and in so many different ways," said HIMSS Executive Vice President Carla Smith, in a statement. "All of us at HIMSS congratulate him on his accomplishments and earning this award."
"We are very proud of Ed for receiving this significant national recognition," said Douglas D. Hawthorne, CEO of Texas Health Resources, in a statement. "Ed and his skilled team of information technology professionals are absolutely critical in helping our system serve North Texans' healthcare needs."
The boards of directors for CHIME and HIMSS annually select the recipient of the award, which is named in honor of 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.
