“Personally, athenaCollector has made my professional life the most satisfying job I've had in years... I love it.”
Norma Mahoney
Practice Operations Manager, Winchester Healthcare Enterprises
Letter from Jonathan
In this issue, we reflect on some of the major achievements and remarkable plans in store for athenaClinicalsSM, our unique EMR solution, and athenaCollectorSM. Check out how athenaCollector saves clients from tracking complicated CLIA requirements and makes it easy – again – to participate in Medicare’s PQRI program. Ever wonder how a solo practice can streamline practice flow and improve profitability without adding lots of cost? Find out how one practice did this (and more) in this month’s client spotlight. Many of us have been confused about Medicare’s re-enrollment regulations. In the Compliance Corner, read about what your practice needs to do to apply (and what to do if you’ve already submitted a partial application). Finally, meet Thomas Tria – a hardworking athenista who triages any problems with athenaNet® and forwards them along to a developer to fix. Read on!
Are You Ready? Medicare’s 2008 Pay-for-Reporting Program Starts January 1!
Are you ready for Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) in 2008? We are! Find out how we’ve made it easy – again – for clients to participate in this incentive program. Click here.
Rule of the Month: Automatically Tracking CLIA Requirements
This month, find out how athenahealth helps you keep track of CLIA requirements through our Rules Engine. More here.
Client Spotlight: Heart and Rhythm Specialists Cardiology Group Pumps Up Revenue
As a solo practitioner, Dr. Barney Beaver, founder of Heart and Rhythm Specialists, needed to streamline his operational workflow. Find out how he did this (and more).
athenaClinicalsSM: Our “Life Changing” Solution Looks Ahead
As the end of the year approaches, we’re happy to reflect on the accomplishments of athenaClinicals, athenahealth’s unique EMR solution, and the direction we’re headed in next year. See what’s in store here.
Inside athenaCollectorSM: Which Improvements Were Most Valuable to You?
2007 was a great year for athenaCollector. Here are some of the highlights of our continuously enhanced physician billing and practice management services offering – which did your practice enjoy most? Check them out here.
Ann & Natalie’s Compliance Corner
This month, we untangle the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recent enforcement of Medicare enrollment regulations. Find out what your practice needs to know.
athenista Spotlight: Meet Thomas Tria
Who handles triage when things go awry in athenaNet? Chances are it’s this guy. Find out how he keeps clients up to speed on the latest athenaNet releases, what he likes most about his job, and what happened to his pet cow. Meet Thomas Tria, athenahealth’s Client Service Technical Analyst.
Performance Stats
Days in Accounts Receivable (DAR) dropped 1.2% between November 2006 and November 2007. The biggest decreases came among Commercial payers, but we saw decreases in almost all areas.
What is DAR?
athenahealth’s Days in Accounts Receivable (DAR) represents the claim lifecycle beginning-to-end: starting the day a charge is entered into athenaNet to the day payment for a charge is posted. We calculate DAR by taking the total dollar outstanding, averaged over the last seven days of the month, and dividing by a rolling average of daily charges for the past 60 days. So it’s not simply a measure of a payer’s payment cycle. It’s actually a full assessment of a provider’s A/R cash flow. When DAR drops, your practice gets paid faster. It’s one of the many ways we use data to help you understand (and improve) your practice profitability and workflow.
Best wishes,
Johnathan Bush
