DENVER (April 18, 2022) – Contexture, the largest health information organization in the Western region as the umbrella organization for Colorado’s CORHIO and Arizona’s Health Current, has appointed Dr. Patrick Guffey chairman of the board.

Guffey currently serves as chief medical information officer at Children’s Hospital Colorado. He’s an associate professor of Pediatric Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado and serves as the performance improvement and informatics officer. He’s board certified in clinical informatics and past president of the Colorado chapter of the Health Information & Management Systems Society.

His research interests center on the application of the electronic health record and clinical informatics to improve quality, safety and outcomes. He’s particularly interested in using Lean principles, informatics and strong safety cultures to drive highly reliable patient care.

“I’m thrilled and honored to serve as the new board chair for the largest health information organization in the Western region,” Guffey said. “I’m excited to apply my clinical experience to encourage greater participation in HIE which drives improved outcomes and a better patient care experience.”

A graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School, he completed his internship with the University of Minnesota/St John’s Hospital Program, residency at the University of California San Francisco and fellowship at the University of Colorado. He also earned a Master of Healthcare Administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

“Dr. Guffey is the ideal candidate as the new chair of the Contexture board of directors,” Contexture CEO Melissa Kotrys said. “His combination of service to the CORHIO and Contexture boards, as well as his role as a physician executive and his eagerness to serve, make him the perfect selection for this important leadership role.”

Guffey will complete the remainder of the one-year board chair term vacated on March 30 by Lisa Brown, who has taken on new responsibilities outside of the health information exchange (HIE) community.

“On behalf of the entire Contexture team, I extend a warm thank you to Lisa Brown for her leadership during the initial phase of our new organization,” Kotrys said. “We’re confident that she established a solid foundation upon which Dr. Guffey and other board officers can build.”

The next slate of Contexture board officers will be brought forward this summer.