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 You’ve heard the athenahealth promise: athenaClinicals is the world’s first “clinical cycle management solution” – combining web-based clinical software, knowledge, and work to deliver far more dependable returns-on-investment to practices than traditional electronic medical records have been able to do. The day a practice goes live with athenaClinicals is the day they’ve seen their last fax, filed the last chart, and phoned in the last order – regardless of where they order from, or what lab(s) they use. So are we ready for you?
athenaClinicals Implementation
So far, the Alpha version of athenaClinicals has been successfully installed in two Internal Medicine practices, with go-live at a third practice slated for April (see our Pulse stories in previous months). And we’re excited to announce our Beta class kick-off, with 27 clinicians in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Family Practice implementing the Beta version of athenaClinicals over the next few months.
How do we implement athenaClinicals with minimal disruption to the practice? The key is staging the process. First, we install the Document Workflow, which stops all paper coming to the office and routes it through athenahealth. athenahealth employees scan all faxes and mail into the ‘provider inbox.’ The next phase is the installation of the Encounter Workflow, where providers start using athenaClinicals to see patients and document orders.
Practices that have begun using athenaClinicals tell us that the solution is not only easy to use and get used to, but has already made their practices run more smoothly and freed up time to spend with patients.
Key Lessons
We’ve learned a few things while successfully bringing practices live with athenaClinicals. First, “installing the Document Workflow is practically a non-event,” said Clinical Engagement Manager Kevin Tolin-Scheper. “The functionality and workflows are intuitive and transparent. Providers adjust to and benefit from this electronic inbox quickly, particularly since it means not lugging a crate full of patient charts home each weekend.”
We’ve also learned that an important part of successful implementation is physician participation in training. “athenaClinicals can be tailored to each practice’s workflow, but physician involvement and championing up-front encourages provider adoption and ensures that a sensible and effective workflow is designed for that practice,” said Kevin Tolin-Scheper.
Finally, we know that physicians have very different preferences when it comes to entering clinical information into their record (and not all want to enter data during a patient exam). So unlike more traditional EMRs, athenaClinicals will offer physicians a variety of options for entering clinical information - including handwritten and verbal notes and transcription. No matter what the input method, the output will be uniform when it comes to the documentation in athenaClinicals. (Stay tuned for more on this important topic in future issues.)
Look for updates in the Pulse on the installment of the Beta class. Also in the works: in addition to Internal Medicine, Family Practice and Pediatrics, athenaClinicals is now being optimized OB/GYN practices. “We’ve made so much progress,” said Kevin Tolin-Scheper. “And we’re very excited about the momentum and enthusiasm for athenaClinicals so far.”
If you’d like more information about athenaClinicals, please e-mail athenaclinicals@athenahealth.com.
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