Optisave Consultants

Steve McGrane

Steve McGrane is a Subject Matter Expert with 25 years of IT and Supply Chain leadership experience. He started his career in the IT department of a major Iowa academic medical center as a mainframe and software developer and later took on various leadership roles within IT in which he had full life cycle ownership over application development and purchased product initiatives. Steve subsequently worked at a large Midwest health system for 12 years, first in IT and then the last 6 years in Supply Chain, where he sourced and contracted technology product for the entire organization. Steve took the lead in developing and implementing new, effective sourcing methodologies and RFP protocols. As the top negotiator Steve saved UnityPoint over $50 million dollars. He has both broad and in-depth expertise in IT applications, project management and vendor management. Steve has a BS in Economics and Political Science from the University of Iowa and an MBA from Mount Mercy University.

Bob Nerz

Bob has over 25 years of experience in telecom and network consulting. He focuses on the needs of large organizations making complex transitions to address changing technology, expanding business needs, and cost reduction. Prior to consulting, Bob had over fifteen years of experience with hardware and software companies in the computer-networking field including Motorola Codex, Concord Communications, and American Power Conversion. He has held both individual contributor and management positions ranging from product manager to vice president.  Bob holds a BS in Engineering from Drexel University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Jason has over 30 years of expertise and experience in sourcing and management of technology hardware, software and professional services. Jason, for the past 20 years, has led a wide range healthcare engagements resulting in higher levels of performance, efficiency and significant cost reduction. He has held senior management positions with leading enterprise software and telecommunications companies, and is highly skilled at negotiating not only cost reduction but also improved contract terms and conditions, with a dedication to superior customer service, as a trusted advisor to numerous clients. At a large Mid-Atlantic academic medical center, Jason worked with IT leadership and supply chain to achieve nearly $12M in savings associated with IT product utilization and optimization, and contract and pricing negotiation. For a large New England health system, he achieved IT savings of $8M. Jason attended University of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland and The Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Kate VerMeulen

Kate VerMeulen, Project Analyst, is a recent addition to the Optisave team, bringing fresh ideas and creativity.  Her experience includes research roles at Detroit’s Henry Ford Health System and healthcare purchased services analyst at Pathstone Partners. At Pathstone, Kate’s role centered on data analytics, benchmarking, and client service; she and her team identified and implemented savings up to $800K. A graduate of the University of Michigan, where she majored in Global Health, International Studies, and Spanish, and served as a Risk Manager for a professional development organization, Kate has an interest in streamlining healthcare operations for optimal outcomes.  She also completed coursework at Butler University, simultaneously working as a tutor to an ESOL student.  In her spare time, Kate is passionate about art - specifically painting and drawing - and is an avid seashell collector and advocate for eliminating ocean plastics. 

Gary Weiner

Gary is a seasoned Healthcare IT executive with over 25 years’ experience, including 10 as CIO/CTO, with deep expertise in Epic, data center, help desk, security, and disaster recovery strategy. Specialties include healthcare, bioinformatics, manufacturing, and information technology. Gary’s accomplishments include leading a team to achieve the high bar of HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7 recognition for a large hospital system, consolidating four data centers into an active-active data center strategy for high availability and disaster recovery; and managing a complex environment of 21 hospitals and 21,000+ users.  Gary partners with hospitals to share best practices in healthcare IT life cycle management, optimization and budgeting, enabling them to advance health and wellness through digital transformation. He has established comprehensive security programs and strategies leading to organizational recognition in the top quartile of security practices.  Gary has been recognized by the United States Government for supporting the Military, receiving the Patriot Award, and is an excellent mentor, helping many who have worked with him achieve VP and Director roles. He holds a BS in Marketing from Central Connecticut State University, and an MBA from Western New England University. In addition, Gary was an adjunct faculty member at Purdue University, teaching IT classes.