Paul Perryman, M.D. was the first physician in Columbia, TN, to incorporate an EHR into clinical practice, and he continues to adopt some of the most efficient, customized technology in the care of his patients. Having implemented athenaOne in January 2022, he most values the intuitive nature of the solution, which he said saves him about an hour every day. When compared to the previous solution he had, Perryman said, “I’m able to save a lot more time with athenaOne. It’s just faster.”

Advanced clinical workflows for a smooth-running practice

Following long hours of engaging with patients, Perryman routinely spent significant time and effort completing administrative tasks associated within each patient encounter. With athenaOne, he now has the ability to work through patient visits much faster and more smoothly than before. He has also been making the most of smart features that automatically suggest order entries for diagnoses based on saved preferences and previous orders. Utilizing time-saving features such as encounter prep tools and text macros, Perryman has achieved approximately 95% same day encounter close-out rate. For someone who has not been able to return home early from work in 20 years, Perryman credits athenaOne’s capabilities with helping him regain his personal life, as well as the pleasure of being a clinician. “With my previous EHR, the grind of what I was doing was wearing me down. Now I feel an improved sense of enjoyment toward my job because I’m not spending so much time on box-checking and data-entry,” he said.

Automated processes for better administrative efficiency

Processing pre-certifications and primary care physician referrals for payments was a routine administrative task that Perryman considered to be a time-eater at his practice. Now, athenaOne takes on this work for him at the backend. Researching payer requirements and contacting payers to complete medical authorizations are tasks that do not require his staff’s active labor anymore. In addition, the majority of documents no longer require manual management. Perryman also likes that approximately 60% of his patients have adopted athenaCommunicator, athenaOne’s patient portal, making patient payment processes and communications easier.

User experience at its best

Since making the switch to athenaOne, Perryman’s team has been able to gain better insights into the practice’s financial health with the help of monthly meetings and comprehensive dashboards. Extensive training during the onboarding period and consistent support from the customer team are benefits he values, as well. According to Perryman, other key features such as high-quality voice recognition and automatic software updates make this solution’s user-friendliness stand out from other healthcare technology solutions. “As someone who wants to provide the best possible care for patients, having a system that makes the most efficient use of my time and my staff’s time is so valuable,” he said. “People who are considering converting to athenaOne need to know it is faster and more intuitive. The enjoyable experience it has created for us has made a difference in our everyday lives.” 

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