Michael R. Cohen has over 30 years of experience helping health care organizations to get more value out of their information technology (IT) investments. He has enabled scores of healthcare clients to make good IT decisions, with widespread organizational support, on time/on budget success, favorable contractual terms and significant operational improvements. Areas of expertise include systems planning, vendor evaluation and selection, contract negotiations, systems implementation management, product review and analysis, IT management, project management, HIPAA compliance and Electronic Health Records (EHR). He has worked with a full array of healthcare software applications and technical platforms, often focusing on fully integrated systems and systems that will ultimately lead to the fulfillment of the EHR and computerized provider order entry (CPOE). He has consulted with numerous health care providers and delivery systems of all sizes, ranging from small rural facilities to fully integrated regional and national delivery systems as well as for physician offices, clinics and managed care providers. His experience spans an era of tremendous growth in healthcare information technology, including multiple business cycles, shifts in technology, application “fads”, and countless vendor market entries/exits. He uses this experience to help his clients view the market more clearly and avoid costly traps and pitfalls. He also frequently manages strategic and competitive analysis for information systems vendors and companies who are active in, or considering entering, the market. He has published several books, a number of articles on healthcare information systems, and is a frequent speaker at industry seminars/conferences including the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), National Association of Healthcare Consultants (NAHC), Towards an Electronic Medical Record (TEPR), The Center for Business Innovations’ (TCBI) Patient Safety Conference, and for four DOQ-IT programs across the country.

Mr. Cohen has been has been very active in EHR circles recently. He has personally helped a variety of providers develop and implement their strategies for achieving EHR’s, including leading vendor selection projects, conducting contract negotiations, and helping manage implementations. He has published a number of articles on the subject, including the monthly “EHR Corner” column (and before that the monthly “HIPAA Corner” column) in Advance for Healthcare Information Executives, has coauthored the book Electronic Health Records: Strategies for Implementation and is a a frequent speaker at industry trade conferences.

Mr. Cohen has experience as a consultant, information systems vendor and hospital administrator. He was Vice President at Sheldon I. Dorenfest & Associates, a Senior Manager at Arthur Young & Company (now Capgemini),a marketing support specialist at McDonnell Douglas Automation Company (now McKesson HBOC), a manager at Arthur Andersen and Company (now Accenture), and an administrator at Cook County Hospital. He is a board member of the Greater Chicago Chapter of HIMSS, serves on the editorial board of "ADVANCE for Health Information Executives,” has been an active member in the HFMA, and has been on the judging panel at several recent EMR and practice management system competitions conducted by TEPR. He received his Masters in Management degree with concentrations in Health Care Administration and Finance from the Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Evanston, IL. He has earned the status as a Fellow at HIMSS and is among the first professionals in the U.S. to be certified by Health IT Certification as a Certified Professional in Health Information Technology (CPHIT) and as a Certified Professional in Electronic Health Records (CPEHR).

e-mail: Mike@mrccg.com