Signature Consulting Group is on the forefront of Healthcare improvement, providing business and information technologies services

We specialize in Federal and commercial healthcare transformation and building Health Information Technology & Interoperability systems.

From deciphering the impact of regulatory changes to quantifying and analyzing the quality of care, health care providers have no shortage of challenges and growth opportunities. It’s vital in the modern healthcare environment that government requirements and mandates, such as implementing value-based reimbursement, are met. Meanwhile, employing advanced technologies and methods in data analytics and value based care using clinical quality measures collection tools is no easy task. Driven by its mission to continuously improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans, Signature Consulting Group provides services in Program and Quality Management, Business Process and Data Analytics and Information Technology in the business of healthcare and healthcare IT. 

Deep Dive into Signature

Founded in 2006 by Corey Cooke, the firm, utilizes a multi-faceted approach to each problem, and builds the best solution to provide tangible results to a project. SCG is a former SBA 8(a) Certified Set-Aside business with the ability to continue to accept sole source contracts up to 4 million through Federal contract vehicles. Serving both the Federal and private sectors, the firm’s highly-qualified, technically-competent team members easily engage in proven methodologies to offer a wide-spectrum of business management and IT services and solutions.

SCG also stands firmly behind the principle of continuous employee development. Learning encourages growth and engagement and retention.  It has incorporated several strategies for this: each employee has an annual training budget that can be used to deepen or expand their knowledgebase. Furthermore it has tuition reimbursement, lunch and learns, and annual performance plans that outline where their individual goals for their development plan. The company has been honoured with numerous industry awards, including being named to the Inc. 500|5000’s annual list of America´s Fastest-Growing Private Companies for three years running.

Let’s Talk Turkey With Corey Cooke Founder And CEO

What led to the inception of the company?

I saw a need for improvement in Healthcare and noticed the government’s support and focus for this change. This meant that companies like SCG could have a space in this Health IT market and capitalize on it for growth and expansion. 

Brief us about your first project.

Electronic Health Record Model: It was exciting to win our first government contract, and to work on a project that was on the forefront of healthcare improvements. In working with different customers and stakeholders to learn what their needs were, we were able to develop different ways of executing the project. Through this experience, we felt we could leverage this gained knowledge onto other projects in the future. 

What are the barriers you encountered?

Finding and developing the right people was one of the biggest challenges. I learned that this process takes time. You must create a company with standards that attracts people, and you need to make sure that that this working relationship will be mutually beneficial. Once they are on the team, it is important to keep them motivated and in line with the purpose and direction of the company’s vision. 

How well do your employees know their role in contributing to the team’s and company’s success?

We work hard to both define employees’ roles and responsibilities and to communicate how their contributions are aligned with our company’s goals. It is important that employees understand our long and short term approaches for achieving success and how, in their roles, they make significant contributions to that goal. 

What makes a best company to work for is the culture of listening to what employees want to do, and a commitment to help them do it. Do you agree to this statement?

This needs to be a symbiotic relationship. The company listens to the employee to understand their goals, and the employee’s goals must fit in with the Company’s major objectives and vision. When the two are aligned, then the company is able to support the employee to attaining their shared and common goals. 

How do you avert conflicts between employees in an organization?

The most common reason for conflicts is usually some type of miscommunication. The best way to prevent conflict is to clearly communicate the goals, responsibilities, and processes to all involved. Then an escalation procedure must be in place to ensure that risks and issues are quickly identified and then mitigated. 

What brings out the best an employee?

By giving employees a level autonomy, you empower them to make decisions, and you demonstrate your faith in their abilities. It is also important to question and follow-up in a collaborative way so you can evaluate the merit of those decisions thereby creating a learning environment for future situations.

Greet the man behind the success of SCG 

Corey Cooke, Founder and CEO: With close to two decades of experience in IT consulting and business management in the areas of healthcare, insurance, finance, telecommunications, and Internet technology, Corey is well positioned to lead and develop SCG as a successful and competitive force in the healthcare IT services industry. Under Corey’s guidance, SCG has been awarded key contracts in the areas of Federal Health Management and Public Health. Prior to founding SCG, Corey had more than a decade of providing business and IT management consulting services working with Blue Cross, and industry leaders GE and Monsanto. As the CEO of SCG, Corey has been named as one of Baltimore SmartCEO’s 2015 and 2016 Future 50 Award Winners. 

“Our people are highly skilled and have a business mindset to understand both future and existing needs of the customer and how to best approach giving the customer what they want.”