Jeff Buda, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Floyd, is a finalist for the 2020 Georgia CIO of the Year ORBIE Award. The award, given annually by the Georgia CIO Leadership Association, recognizes chief information officers who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership.
Buda is one of six finalists in the health care category. Overall there are six separate categories. More than 120 CIOs from across the state were nominated.
Finalists and winners are selected by an independent peer review process, led by prior ORBIE recipients, based on the following criteria:
- Leadership and management effectiveness
- Business value created by technology innovation
- The size and scope of responsibilities
- Engagement in industry and community endeavors
Buda joined Floyd as Chief Information Officer in 2012. He was named Vice President in 2016.
He previously served as Executive Director of Business Applications for the WellStar Health System in Marietta and Vice President of System Initiatives and Chief Information Officer for Mercy Health System/Catholic Health East in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. He also held roles with a major consulting firm and an information technology software vendor.
“Jeff joined our organization at a time when Floyd was focused on the acquisition of a second hospital and electronic health record implementation and quickly recognized several elements of our core technical infrastructure were on the brink of failure," said Floyd President and CEO Kurt Stuenkel. “For the next two years Jeff and his team focused on stabilizing Floyd's infrastructure, while delivering on strategic imperatives enabled by information technology.
“Also during this time, Jeff's team maximized Floyd's meaningful use incentives, earning over $15 million in incentive payments over the subsequent five years," Stuenkel added. “In addition, Jeff has been instrumental in developing our information security team, improving customer service and developing a professional Project Management Office, whose members lead some of our most significant projects.
“He was instrumental in our evaluation of the acquisition of our third hospital in Centre, Ala., and, because of his demonstrated leadership, growth potential and interests, he now has the expanded role of executive oversight of our Public Relations and Volunteer Services departments. I cannot think of a more qualified individual for the honor of Georgia CIO of the Year," Stuenkel said.
The Georgia CIO Leadership Association is the leading professional association for Georgia chief information officers. Membership is comprised exclusively of CIOs (or equivalent executive roles) from public and private companies, government, education, health care and nonprofit organizations.
All finalists will be recognized on October 7 at the virtual Finalist Event, and ORBIE winners will be announced at the virtual Georgia CIO Awards on November 6.