"Every month, athenahealth adds something to the solution that is a great innovation, really making my day and my practice life easier."
Norma Mahoney
Practice Operations Manager, Winchester Healthcare Enterprises
Letter from Jonathan
Like many of you, we've often been frustrated with insurers' complex and confusing payment policies. Which health insurance companies pay quickly and which don't? What payers best adhere to national coding standards? Who has the highest denial rates? What claims are likely to require follow-up phone calls? Ask a payer and they'll tell you the problem is all provider compliance. But thanks to our Performance Management team (led by Kim LaFontana, our featured athenista this month), we now have a groundbreaking tool to isolate the payer's side of the problem. It's called PayerView, it's never been done before, and it's creating quite a buzz in the national media. Also, find out what we're doing to address your posting concerns, and what's been happening as athenaClinicals goes live with multi-provider practices. And in Ann & Dan's Compliance Corner, we help you figure out the appropriateness of waiving Medicare co-pays and deductibles. For all this and more, read on!
athenahealth launches groundbreaking PayerView website
This month, athenahealth launches PayerView, the first-ever review of health insurer performance from the vantage point of physicians. No one has ever made this kind of information public before, and we've created quite a buzz in the national media. Learn more here.
Live benchmarking winners announced
We are excited to announce the first quarter winners in athenahealth's Live Benchmarking Program. What did they win? How can you win next quarter? Read about it here.
First multi-provider practice goes live with athenaClinicals
Bethel Family Medicine has successfully implemented Phase I of athenaClinicals, becoming our third live client and our first multi-provider practice. Read about the installation (and what this means for group practices and athenaClinicals) here.
Posting update: We hear you!
The results of our second-quarter client satisfaction survey are in and they indicate a dip in satisfaction with remittance services. Find out what we're doing to improve your satisfaction in this area here.
Ann & Dan's Compliance Corner
Launched last month, this is your regular update on compliance issues you want to know about. This month, we address your questions about the appropriateness of waiving Medicare co-pays and deductibles. Click here for more.
athenista spotlight: Meet Kim LaFontana
You can thank this athenista and her team when your claims get paid the first time around and your payers start cooperating. Once known as "Vampira" in a past job, she is now our Vice President for Performance Management. Meet Kim LaFontana, this month's featured athenista. Miss one of our athenista profiles? Click here for the archive.
Vital Stats
Days in Accounts Receivable (DAR) dropped 2.2% between May 2005 and May 2006, with lost patient care revenue (LPCR) steady at 4.8%. While DAR dropped overall, DAR for Commercial payers and Medicaid remained about the same. We're working hard to make sure DAR continues to go down among all the major payer categories.
athenaFunnies: Going up?
True stories from the athenaFunnies vault
One day, our support team got a call from a client in distress. This client, located in a major metropolitan area, happened to be in the elevator of their building when the elevator suddenly stopped between floors. In a panic, the client speed-dialed athenahealth to explain their situation in the stuck elevator... and ask for assistance. Really, who else would you call in this situation?
Save the date! athenahealth's 5th Annual User Conference is October 10-13, 2006
This year's User Conference is going to be the biggest, the best, the most useful ever. So save the date: October 10-13, 2006 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. We'll kick off with an Opening Reception on Tuesday evening, then enjoy two full days of content on Wednesday and Thursday, wrapping up with a half-day on Friday. More details coming soon.
2006 Practice of the Year Contest Entries Now Being Accepted by Physicians Practice®
Physicians Practice®, America's Leading Practice Management Journal, is now accepting entries for its fifth annual Practice of the Year competition. Practices will be evaluated on their descriptions of innovative, unique, or creative solutions that they have implemented to improve practice operations in technology, office management, finance, personnel, and patient satisfaction. athenahealth is proud of our clients' consistent and innovative work to improve the lives of patients, and we encourage you to enter. Need a little help with your contest entry? If you are interested in working with athenahealth to submit your practice for the 2006 award, please contact John Hallock, jhallock@athenahealth.com. Requests for assistance from athenahealth considered on a first come, first served basis.
Best wishes,
Johnathan Bush
