Our Services
Electronic Health Records and "Meaningful Use" Assistance
While we work in all major application areas of the health care enterprise (clinical, financial, managed care, departmental, administrative etc.) we have a special interest and experience in EHR. We can also help you with your efforts to achieve meaningful use of your EHR.
Any of our general services can be applied to a specific EHR focused effort. For example services could include:
- EHR education
- Assessing your readiness for an EHR
- Guiding you to achieve MU while simultaneously building an MU audit defense to reduce both the risk of an audit, and having a solid defense to withstand one
- Developing a strategy and/or EHR migration path
- Helping you evaluate/select EHR related products and add-ons
- Helping you in contract negotiations
- Helping you in process improvement or implementation efforts.
We have helped dozens of providers with their EHR programs including helping them with their MU efforts. In addition to being engaged directly by providers, we have worked through a Regional Extension Center (REC) and Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), delivered strategic assistance to vendors, and helped several parties interested in RHIO/HIE efforts.
EHR vendors our clients have contracted with include: Allscripts, Cerner, eClinicalWorks, Eclipsys, e-MDS, Epic, an Epic reseller, GBS, GE, GEMMS, Greenway, IHS, iMedica (now Aprima), KIG, McKesson, Meditech, Medicity, Misys (now Allscripts), MMIC, NextGen, Sage, Siemens and more.
MEANINGFUL USE COMPLIANCE TOOL
We can help you with your efforts to plan for and achieve "meaningful use" (MU) of your EHR, and maximize your incentives under the ARRA/HITECH stimulus act of 2009. We are a co-business partner for the "Meaningful Use Monitor" (MUM) tool which helps hospitals and physician offices in self assessment, establishing a plan of action to achieve MU, executive management attestation, and ongoing compliance with CMS criteria to qualify for and receive ARRA/HITECH incentive funds. The MUM dashboard provides an "at a glance" report of your organizations status in achieving MU, and can drill down to a detail level showing precisely what is (or is not) being done along with supporting documentation. It contains a comprehensive knowledge base of all MU criteria and requirements, including expert interpretation and continual updating as the rules evolve. MUM may also be used to assist in the process of getting "self-certification" of your EHR product by an EHR Certification organization should you find that to be a reasonable course of action to pursue. This comprehensive and robust tool can be used either with - or without - our consulting assistance. Click here for the Meaningful Use Monitor website, or contact Mike Cohen at (630-584-0304 or mike@mrccg.com) for more information.

Click here for a pdf copy of our EHR and HITECH Services Brochure
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Systems Review & Assessment
We will quickly and efficiently conduct a review of your IT
program to help you assess user perceptions and attitudes towards
IT and to determine whether your program is on track and moving in
the desired direction. This can be a review of your entire IT
program, focus on a specific component of it, or address specific
problems or areas needing special attention. We use our industry
knowledge, interviewing skills, proven methodologies, and problem
solving skills to broadly assess your situation and offer pragmatic
suggestions for improvement where appropriate
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Strategic & Tactical Planning
We will lead a thorough and efficient process aimed at helping
you to clarify your IT program goals, understand your strategic
options for moving forward, and to identify and prioritize the key
projects needed to achieve your strategy. Based on those efforts we
will then facilitate you to reach agreement on the strategy that
best suits your organization. This is done within a framework of
matching IT needs to overall clinical and business
needs/strategies, while securing multidisciplinary input from key
staff and managers throughout your organization. While technology
is certainly a key ingredient of the planning process, we stress a
clinical/business driven plan rather than a technologically driven
one. At the tactical level we will flesh out detailed activities,
timing and resource requirements needed to achieve your strategic
plan.
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Vendor Evaluation and Selection
We frequently assist providers in finding the systems/vendors
best suited to their organization. We are very flexible in our
approach, and will tailor it to meet your needs. Some clients
prefer the traditional approach of a full scale request for
proposal (RFP) followed by proposal analysis, scripted product
demonstrations, vendor HQ visits, site visits etc. Others prefer a
more streamlined approach. Our style is to provide you an
evaluation methodology that works, proven tools for achieving an
"apples to apples" comparison, and sufficient guidance to keep the
project on track. Our philosophy is that you are better suited to
make this decision than any consultant (and will be living with it
for many years). We will do everything we can to facilitate you to
make the best possible decision for your organization.
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Contract Negotiations
We will help you secure a fair contract with your vendor(s) of
choice that is modified to meet your specific needs. Based on
experience gained from negotiating contracts with most of the
leading healthcare systems vendors, we have great insight into what
can be contractually achieved and what cannot. We will use that
knowledge to help get you a performance based contract that spells
out what you are really buying, establishes reasonable expectations
for buyer and seller, and has fair pricing and payment terms. Our
philosophy is that the contract is much more important than just a
pricing/cost tool. It structures the entire business arrangement,
and to protect you, we need to reach closure on a broad array of
performance, implementation, technical, support and economic
considerations. Typically, economic benefits from this consulting
service alone far exceed the cost of using us for the full
lifecycle of systems consulting services.
"In the past three years, I have served as the CEO of two
clinics which successfully negotiated complex EHR contracts-in both
cases we contracted with Mike Cohen to assist our team in
negotiating both the contract language and the pricing
terms. Based on these experiences, I wouldn't consider
EHR contract negotiations without Mike's skills and
experience!" John Peterson, CEO, Fergus Falls Medical Group,
Fergus Falls, Minnesota
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Implementation Planning
It is important to have a clear and well-documented plan for
implementing your new system. At a minimum it needs to include a
well thought out project team/organizational structure, project
management guidelines, clear target dates with project milestones,
activities and responsibilities. Ideally, this will be agreed upon
with your vendor prior to your signing a contract. We will help you
develop such a plan, as well as prepare your key project team
members for the big implementation job ahead of them. We frequently
conduct this project concurrent with contract negotiations.
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Implementation Management & Assistance
Given the cost, size and complexity of a major systems
implementation. Implementation can be a risky effort, especially if
your IT and/or key user staff lack the practical experience of
having installed systems several times in their careers. We help
you minimize that risk by providing proven system implementation
tools and methodologies, and supplementing them with highly
experienced consultants. Our style is to help orchestrate and
manage your staff and resources to get the job done. We will "work
through your people" to facilitate an on time/on budget
implementation that satisfies your original reasons for buying the
system. The level of our assistance will be tailored to your needs.
Examples of different levels of assistance include: a small project
to periodically monitor your progress and activity; a part time
consultant to supplement your project manager; or a full time
project manager to lead the effort. We can also provide application
and technical specialists as needed.
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IT Management and Interim CIO
We can provide an IT Director or Chief Information Officer (CIO)
to your organization on an interim basis. While serving in that
capacity, we will address not only your day to day management
needs, but will help identify specific areas where the management
process needs improvement, as well as any other areas needing
attention. Where appropriate, we will supplement our interim
Director/CIO with other consultants to help implement improvements
within the IT program.
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HIPAA Assistance
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
(HIPAA) Administrative Simplification Section regulations is having
a profound impact on the collection, storage and use of information
in health care. Much more than a set of technology standards,
achieving and maintaining HIPAA compliance requires strong
organizational effort, and significant changes in organizational
culture and operations regarding the use, security and privacy of
patient identifiable information. HIPAA should not be viewed solely
as an "IT issue", but as a challenge (and opportunity) for the
entire organization. We can assess your current compliance with the
rules and standards, and help you understand any gaps or risks in
your current program. When needed we can develop practical,
efficient and effective programs to improve your compliance.
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Industry Education
We are frequently asked to provide educational services for
providers, professional associations, trade publications and
others. This includes public speaking at industry events,
writing articles for industry journals, co-authoring books and
conducting customized education sessions for clients with specific
education needs
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General Problem Solving and Special Projects
We would be glad to discuss helping you with other specific
problems, needs or projects you may need assistance with.
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Strategic Assistance to Healthcare IT Suppliers and Investors
We provide the following strategic services to companies such
as software vendors, pharmaceutical firms, investment bankers,
law firms and other organizations interested in the healthcare IT
market. This can be at both a domestic and international
level. For example, we have helped American firms examining
foreign markets, and foreign firms examining US markets.
Product Review & Competitive Analysis
Through our engagements with a variety of providers, we have
developed a great depth and breadth of understanding for the many
different IT products and vendors competing in the health care
arena. We often conduct "apples to apples" comparisons of such
products when we help our provider clients to evaluate and select
new systems. We apply this knowledge and experience to provide
health care IT suppliers an independent view and professional
opinion of how their current or planned products may compete in the
open market.
Strategic & Tactical Planning
We will lead a thorough and efficient process aimed at helping
you to clarify your IT program goals, understand your strategic
options for moving forward, and to identify and prioritize the key
projects needed to achieve your strategy. Based on those efforts we
will then facilitate you to reach agreement on the strategy that
best suits your organization. This is done within a framework of
matching IT needs to overall clinical and business
needs/strategies, while securing multidisciplinary input from key
staff and managers throughout your organization. While technology
is certainly a key ingredient of the planning process, we stress a
clinical/business driven plan rather than a technologically driven
one. At the tactical level we will flesh out detailed activities,
timing and resource requirements needed to achieve your strategic
plan.
Market Overview & Education Sessions
We will develop and deliver presentations targeted at specific
areas of interest to Executive Management or specific disciplines
within their companies. Examples of the type of education sessions
we have conducted include: Healthcare Information Systems Market
Overview; What's Really Happening with the Electronic Health
Record; ARRA/HITECH stimulus act and impact on the market;
HIPAA Compliance Overview and other areas of special interest.
Due Diligence for Potential
Mergers/Acquisitions
We will combine our domain expertise with our analytical and
research skills to help potential buyers of companies to better
understand the product and organization they are buying. We work
with investment firms as well as directly with potential buyers to
assist in such due diligence and research efforts.
Miscellaneous Problem Solving and
Assistance
We pride ourselves on the depth and breadth of our knowledge of
the healthcare IT marketplace plus strong problem solving skills
developed over more than two decades of health care consulting. We
are adept at applying these to areas of special interest to our
clients, such as specific problems, opportunities or trends in the
market. We also conduct market research aimed at addressing your
specific questions and issues as well as helping you examine new
products and technology entering the marketplace.
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