Director Mark R. Anderson, FHIMSS, CPHIMSS

Mark R. Anderson presently serves as Healthcare IT Futurist and CEO of AC Group, Inc., which he formed in 1996 as an information technology advisory and research service designed to save healthcare industry participant’s precious time and resources in IT decision-making. More than 500 healthcare organizations worldwide have approached their most critical IT challenges with the help of ACG. ACG has been helping IT professionals make better strategic and tactical decisions with the advantage of industry research and the collective hindsight of hundreds of companies whose IT experiences it has monitored and analyzed in detail. This combination of market research and real-world IT assessment helps clients eliminate wasteful IT spending, avoid the inefficiency of trial and error, and discover a superior alternative to "guess" decisions. For healthcare vendor clients, ACG provides independent advisory and consultative services designed to assist vendors in their Business Strategies, Market and Customer Strategies, Competitive Analysis, and Product Profiling.

AC Group specializes in the evaluation, selection, and ranking of vendors in the PMS/EMR/EHR healthcare marketplace. Twice per year, AC Group publishes a detailed report on vendor PMS/HER functional, usability, and company viability. This evaluation decision tool has been used by more than 5,000 physicians since 2002. Additionally, AC Group has conducted more than 200 PMS/EHR searches, selections, and contract negotiations for small physician offices to large IPA since 2003.

Mr. Anderson has provided consultancy services to the Health Care Division of META Group, Inc., which doubled the healthcare practice is less than two years; West Tennessee Healthcare (WTH), a 10-hospital chain with a large managed care practice, resulting in the development and successful contract negotiations for the largest healthcare IT outsourcing contract in the United States; a $1 billion contract that will save the healthcare institution $98 million over the next ten years; The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Health Systems (SCNHS), where he was responsible for Corporate Healthcare Consulting Services, Re-Engineering and IT activities at the seven Multi-Facility Health Care Institutions in Kentucky, Tennessee & Arkansas (Ten Hospitals); the coordination of outside consultants; development of an ongoing operational effectiveness and cost containment program; the development of a district wide staffing and performance monitoring system; financial and operational analysis; and general management support for the CEO; Sisters of Providence Health System (SOP), where he was responsible for Corporate Wide Management Consulting, Information Systems, Re-Engineering and Cost Reduction, MIS long-range planning studies and evaluation of current hospital computer systems in more than 50 health care institutions, recommendations for current system enhancements and negotiation points, formulation of hospital request for proposals, vendor searches and evaluations, coordination of outside consultants; development of an ongoing operational effectiveness and cost containment program; the development of a district wide staffing and performance monitoring system; financial and operational analysis; and general management support for the CEO.

Mr. Anderson also served as the Executive Director of Southwest Management Consultants - Health Care Division in Houston, Texas, where he was responsible for Health Information and Management Consulting, specializing in the management and execution of Health Information Systems, operational effectiveness, long range strategic planning, facility programming, financial feasibility studies, and computer acquisition and installation. He performed operational studies that included the review and analysis of current systems, the identification of opportunities for improvement, and the implementation of recommendations, developed a Physician Practice Management consulting program that installed computerized billing and clinical reporting systems in more than 50 different practices and was responsible for installing systems, training staff and daily management support.

Mr. Anderson served as Deputy Manager (Vice president) for the Denver Department of Health and Hospitals in Denver, Colorado, where he provided “outsourced” management over the agency’s Information System, Human Resource Planning and Forecasting, Staffing and Productivity, Strategic Planning, Facility Planning, Management Engineering, Program Development and Marketing, Joint Commission, Quality Assurance, Risk Management, Physician Staff Office, Micro-Computer Development, and Grant Development, where he directed hiring, firing and management responsibility over twelve department heads and indirect supervision of more than 140 clinical and administrative employees. He served as Project Director for several major undertakings, including: a $5.1 million construction project; development and implementation of a hospital-wide Management Effectiveness Program; creation of an agency wide staffing, resource utilization and productivity reporting system; development and identification of agencies current and future role and programs; and determined current and future facility and equipment needs.

Previously, he was the Executive Director of Management Services for the Harris County Hospital District in Houston, Texas, where he was responsible for Health Information and Management Consulting, an External Consultant to A.T. Kearney, Inc. Health Care Management Consultants, responsible for the Health Information and Management Consulting Division for the West Coast.

Mr. Anderson has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in Management/Computer Science/Accounting from California State University at Northridge and has completed post-graduate work toward an MBA in Health Care Management through Century University. He is a member of AMGA, HIMSS, HFMA, TEPR, MSHUG, AHA, HBMA, AGI, and MGMA.