John Abendshien, President and co-founder of ICS, has over 35 years of experience providing consulting services to healthcare organizations in the areas of enterprise strategy, integrated clinical service line development, management/governance organizational design, and mergers and network formation, including ACO development.  John has conducted 400+ consulting engagements across the United States and with a broad range of organizations, including community hospitals, healthcare systems, academic medical centers, physician groups, and professional and trade organizations.

John is a frequent speaker and lecturer on the subject of strategic planning and organizational change management. He is a Past Chair of the American Association of Healthcare Consultants, and has served as a member of the Governance 100.

John was founder and President of the national healthcare strategy firm of Abendshien Associates, Inc. Previously he was a Partner of Ernst & Young and National Director of E&Y’s healthcare strategy practice.

John has an MBA and an M.S. in Healthcare Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and completed his administrative residency at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. He also served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Services Corps.

Mark Janack, Senior Vice President and co-founder of ICS, is one of the country's foremost experts in clinical program design, with in-depth expertise in the neurosciences as well as cardiovascular, orthopedics and surgical program design. Mark has over 20 years of experience in the planning, implementation, and operations of integrated clinical centers of excellence.

Mark also has extensive experience in all facets of hospital/physician alignment, including the design of co-management and hospital-based outpatient department structures.  His work has encompassed the integration of academic health center faculty and hospital services and operations, and the design of functional organization structures to support integrated operations.

Previously Mark served as Co-Director of the Cleveland Spine and Arthritis Center; and as administrative director of outpatient surgery centers. Mark maintains a clinical practice as an RNFA with a large spinal surgery practice in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mark's clinical background is that of a Registered Nurse, RFNA, and CNOR.  He also holds an MBA in Business Administration.  He has been highly active in various professional/academic societies, and has published and presented papers on various topics related to spine surgery.

Biraj Patel, Senior Associate, has experience in financial reporting/analysis, business planning, and workforce productivity for academic and community hospitals.  He has developed several business plans and pro forma valuations to support enterprise-wide decisions, including: department/service line expansions, management service agreements, capital acquisitions, and other strategic growth opportunities.

Prior to joining ICS, Biraj was a Business Analyst at The MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio, working in its decision support and operations-finance departments.

Biraj has a B.S. in Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Health Administration from Texas A&M Health Science Center.  He completed his administrative fellowship at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia.   

Maribeth Lekas, Senior Manager, has over 20 years of experience working with physician specialty groups in strategic planning, practice development, and operations management. Her background includes medical practice management consulting and the provision of financial services to a broad range of physician practices. Maribeth's responsibilities with ICS encompass the development of operational and financial plans for clinical centers of excellence, including capital/operating budgets and pro forma financial projections.

John Collis, M.D., is a Medical Advisor to the firm in matters pertaining to the design and implementation of neuroscience centers of excellence. Dr. Collis is nationally recognized as a leader in the neuroscience field. Currently Dr. Collis is Department Chair of Neurosurgery at St.Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, as well as Chairman and Founder of Cleveland Orthopedic and Spine Hospital. Previously he was Director of Spine Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.

The following preeminent physicians provide clinical insights and expertise in the development of integrated centers of excellence: