Our Heritage
Though technology keeps changing, the values that have made us successful haven’t. Our core values are client interests first, healthcare industry leadership, continual growth, and professional integrity. The team at Aspen Advisors has decades of combined experience strategizing, planning, and implementing healthcare IT programs.
A track record of innovation in healthcare.
Use the interactive timeline below to learn how we’ve been working with clients to strategically use IT to enhance processes and streamline operations over the past three decades.
1982
IBM introduced the desktop PC, and Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) were introduced.
Dan Herman helped develop a case mix management system capable of decision modeling and statistical analysis by DRGs.
Early 80s
Fee-for-Service payments were criticized / Providers took on more risk / "Capitation" payments became more common.
Guy Scalzi worked as an administrator in three large NYC healthcare enterprises addressing the changing reimbursement landscape and the move to departmental IT systems and electronic billing for physicians.
1986
HMSS became HIMSS.
Dan Herman celebrated 5 years as a HMSS member .
Late 80s
IDNs emerged as corporations horizontally integrated the hospital system, previously a decentralized system.
As integration became more predominant in the 90s and 2000s, Craig Schlusberg worked with hospitals to identify and select enterprise master patient index (EMPI) systems and collaborated on the logic and rules needed to match and merge patient records.
1995
CHINS emerged.
Dan Herman was involved in a CHIN strategic planning project in Battle Creek, MI, followed two years later by another in Louisville, KY.
1996
Congress enacted HIPAA.
Craig Schlusberg helped develop and lead First Consulting Group’s HIPAA practice, which worked with over 30 hospitals and health systems to assess, strategize, and achieve HIPAA compliance.
1997
Cisco introduced the Catalyst 5500 data network switches.
Jeff White helped plan, select, and implement large data networks and numerous RIS/PACS at eight hospitals in a 18-hospital healthcare system in St. Louis.
1997
PHRs emerged.
In the early 2000s, Jim B-Reay helped a major children’s hospital design and develop a web-based personal health record system targeted to the needs of children with chronic health conditions.
1999
Institute of Medicine published "To Err is Human," bringing patient safety issues to the forefront.
Dan Herman led patient safety and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) readiness assessments at several large, tertiary, multi-hospital integrated delivery networks.
Early 2000s
Healthcare organizations began embracing offshore outsourcing.
Dan Coate created a 50+ person service team in Bangalore, India to support and implement healthcare packaged application systems for U.S. clients, adhering to SEI-CMMI Level 5.
2005
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) became more prevalent in the healthcare industry.
Gregg Mohrmann built and implemented the project management office advisory practice at FCG, which then helped several academic medical centers and multi-facility integrated health systems adhere to ITIL and PMI standards.
2007
Stark law changed to enable hospitals to fund up to 85% of the non-hardware implementation costs of private practice electronic medical records (EMRs).
Dan Herman developed affiliated physician IT and EMR strategies and plans for several multi-hospital healthcare providers — each featuring pricing options for offering hospital-based clinical applications to affiliated physician practices.
2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided Meaningful Use incentives for EMRs.
Dawn Mitchell developed the business model for a Maryland hospital to offer EMR, practice management, a community health information exchange, and a related suite of IT services — all while ensuring the physician community could demonstrate Meaningful EMR Use.
2010
Results from accountable care organizations (ACOs) and patient-centered medical home (PCMH) pilots began to emerge. Health reform legislation passed in the U.S. Congress.
Aspen completed a number of IT strategy and planning engagements that support clients’ organizational and IT directions relating to ACOs and PCMHs.