Physician Informaticist · Executive Advisor
The exam room
got bigger.
Two decades of clinical practice, health system leadership, and EHR optimization — distilled into counsel for the CMIOs and health systems navigating what comes next.
20+
Years in Clinical Informatics
50+
CMIOs Coached & Mentored
$12B
System Scale at Sutter Health
#1
Epic Physician of the Year, 2013
We didn't leave medicine.
We found a bigger exam room.
Calyx Partners started with a practicing Med-Peds physician — board certified in both Pediatrics and Internal Medicine. Then somewhere along the way, an EHR workflow that wasn't working the way it should demanded attention. So we fixed it. Then another. And another.
We built the VP of EHR Transformation & Optimization role at Sutter Health — a $12B system — from scratch. Created the title. Wrote the job description. Hired for it. That conviction set the course for everything that followed.
Read the full story →Now
Founder, Calyx Partners
CMIO coaching, executive mentorship, the field guide nobody else would write
Sutter
VP, EHR Transformation & Optimization
$12B system. Created and named the role. First physician to bridge clinical and IT at system scale
2013
Epic Physician of the Year
Peer-nominated recognition — KidShare collaborative, e-learning, national Epic presentations
Multi
Interim CMIO Engagements
NYC Health + Hospitals, Guthrie Clinic, KeyCare, Cleveland Clinic, Cayuga Medical
Four ways to move
the needle.
CMIO Mentorship & Executive Coaching
1:1 coaching for CMIOs at every stage — from the newly-titled physician who just got the keys, to the 5-year veteran who feels stuck.
Strategic Clinical Informatics Advisory
Embedded strategic counsel for health systems navigating EHR optimization, clinical decision support governance, and physician adoption at scale.
Thought Partnership & Advisory
On-demand access to a seasoned advisor for high-stakes decisions, board prep, vendor negotiations, and strategic pivots.
Speaking & Keynotes
From audiences of 10 to 10,000 — conference keynotes, CMIO leadership workshops, and custom talks aligned to your organization's mission.
No ivory tower.
Just results.
Dave Butler is one of the rare consultants who has actually done the job — CMIO, CHIO, system VP — before advising others on how to do it. His Epic depth, clinical credibility, and executive judgment make Calyx Partners an invaluable resource for any health system serious about improving its IT organization.
Christopher Longhurst, MD, MS
CEO, Seattle Children's
Dr. Butler has literally helped to form and shape the physician engagement strategies, system optimization efforts and clinical direction of too many hospitals, clinics, provider systems and healthcare organizations to count.
Jon Manis
SVP & CIO, CHRISTUS Health
He thinks out-of-the-box and uses his vast experience in dealing both with the IT folks and practicing clinicians to help advance the use of technology among physicians. One of his key attributes is his ability to communicate well to any audience. Using wit and often humor, he can connect with hospital executives as well as project analysts.
Craig Joseph, MD, FAAP, FAMIA
CMO, Nordic Global
Dr. Butler is an exceptional Physician Informaticist and Executive. He understands how it takes people, process and technology to make Healthcare IT work as a tool to improve the delivery of care. Dr. Butler was a consultant for us during our Epic implementation and his insights were invaluable.
Neal Chawla, MD
CMIO, WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Dave didn't just teach me how to be a CMIO — he taught me how to think like one. The difference between managing tickets and leading a clinical informatics program is enormous, and he's the one who showed me where that line is.
Freddy Chang, MD
CMIO, Onvida Health
Calyx has proven to be a value to our organization by rallying providers for proficiency in the EHR. He blends his knowledge within IT and translates it for providers all the while identifying their needs within the EHR space. It is clear that Innovation is what drives him which is also the key to his success.
Terri Couts, RN-BC, MHA, CHCIO, CDH-E
SVP Chief Information & Digital Officer, Sharp HealthCare
Bedside to
Boardrooms.
The field guide nobody gave you when you became CMIO. Six chapters. Zero fluff. Real frameworks, real stories, real talk about the job nobody prepares you for.
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