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                                                                   Exhibit 31.1


                    CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                                  PURSUANT TO
                  EXCHANGE ACT RULES 13A-14(A) AND 15D-14(A),
                             AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
                 SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002


I, Philip M. Pead, certify that:

         1.       I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Per-Se
                  Technologies, Inc.;

         2.       Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any
                  untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
                  material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light
                  of the circumstances under which such statements were made,
                  not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
                  report;

         3.       Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
                  financial information included in this report, fairly present
                  in all material respects the financial condition, results of
                  operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for,
                  the periods presented in this report;

         4.       The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are
                  responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure
                  controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules
                  13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

                           (a)      Designed such disclosure controls and
                           procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and
                           procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
                           ensure that material information relating to the
                           registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries,
                           is made known to us by others within those entities,
                           particularly during the period in which this report
                           is being prepared;

                           (b)      Evaluated the effectiveness of the
                           registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and
                           presented in this report our conclusions about the
                           effectiveness of the disclosure controls and
                           procedures, as of the end of the period covered by
                           this report based on such evaluation; and

                           (c)      Disclosed in this report any change in the
                           registrant's internal control over financial
                           reporting that occurred during the registrant's most
                           recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth
                           fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that
                           has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
                           materially affect, the registrant's internal control
                           over financial reporting;

         5.       The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have
                  disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal
                  control over financial reporting, to the registrant's
                  auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of
                  directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

                           (a)      All significant deficiencies and material
                           weaknesses in the design or operation of internal
                           control over financial reporting which are
                           reasonably likely to adversely affect the
                           registrant's ability to record, process, summarize
                           and report financial information; and

                           (b)      Any fraud, whether or not material, that
                           involves management or other employees who have a
                           significant role in the registrant's internal
                           control over financial reporting.


Date: November 5, 2004

                                                    /s/ PHILIP M. PEAD
                                                    ---------------------------
                                                    Philip M. Pead
                                                    Chairman, President
                                                    and Chief Executive Officer