Long Beach, CA (June 20, 2005) - First Consulting Group (FCG), (NASDAQ: FCGI), an information technology (IT) consulting, integration and outsourcing leader in healthcare, has named Richard Skinner Vice President in its healthcare IT practice.   In this role, Mr. Skinner will assist hospitals in their efforts to utilize IT to improve the quality and efficiency of their services.  Mr. Skinner brings more than 30 years of healthcare and IT experience along with a proven track record of outstanding leadership to FCG.

Prior to joining FCG, Mr. Skinner spent twelve years at Providence Health Systems (PHS) where he held multiple positions as Vice President and CIO. During his tenure, he held the role of Vice President, Information Services and was the first ever corporate CIO for PHS, where he led a staff of 635 IT specialists.  He was responsible for information services, high-level IT functions, and capital investments for the $4 billion company, which comprises 18 hospitals, 500 physician practices, and more than 35,000 employees.  Mr. Skinner also served as CIO of both the Oregon region and the Portland Service Area of PHS.

Mr. Skinner is past Chairman of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and was recognized as CIO of the Year in 2001 by the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS).  He is currently working at the national level with various groups and is on the board of HIMSS Analytics.

"Rick is a nationally recognized leader, speaker and author in health information systems, who will provide FCG clients with the best information available as they manage changes taking place in healthcare," said Luther Nussbaum, Chairman and CEO, FCG.  "Rick's leadership and experience will help FCG further our commitment to using our innovative products to promote efficiency and improve quality of care and patient safety."

Earlier in his career, Mr. Skinner served in the following capacities for the U.S. Army: CIO and Lieutenant Colonel at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Director for the Army Office for Defense Medical Information Systems in Washington, D.C., and Information Management Officer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.


FCG is a leading provider of outsourcing, consulting, systems implementation and integration for healthcare, pharmaceutical, and other life sciences organizations throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Through combinations of onsite, off-site and offshore outsourced services, FCG provides low cost, high quality offerings to improve its clients' performance. The firm's consulting and integration services increase clients' operations effectiveness with and through information technology, resulting in reduced costs, improved customer service, enhanced quality of patient care, and more rapid introduction of new pharmaceutical compounds. For more information about FCG, visit 

News

First Consulting Group (FCG), (NASDAQ: FCGI), an information technology (IT) consulting, integration and outsourcing leader in healthcare, has named Richard Skinner Vice President in its healthcare IT practice.