Improving operations with data-driven decisions

When Amie Naas joined Axis Integrated Mental Health as Director of Clinical Operations in December 2024, she found that her teams spent a lot of time and effort pulling in scheduling data. Given how labor-intensive these processes were, leadership struggled to access timely insights.

Without reliable, real-time visibility into how their resources were used, it was difficult to predict the right moment to add provider days or expand service lines.

This challenge led the group to partner with athenahealth's Advisory Services team, experts who support organizations in optimizing processes and technology.

Transitioning from hand-counting data to reviewing a custom dashboard

Before partnering with Advisory Services, Axis teams had to rely on manual, time-consuming methods to generate useful data. To get a clear picture of utilization across service lines, staff often had to hand-count patient visits and rely on estimates.

Axis needed a solution that could keep pace with their complex and fast-paced operations and provide clear, actionable insight. A one-off report wouldn’t suffice: they needed a scalable and ongoing solution that leaders and clinic managers could trust and act on immediately.

The team also had clear goals. They wanted reliable, week-by-week data on utilization and RVUs so they could evaluate panel sizes accurately, especially as they considered bringing on new providers.

In partnership with Advisory Services Data & Analytics Consulting, the team developed a dynamic, tailored PowerBI dashboard to surface real-time insights about these core business challenges.

New opportunities in efficiency and strategy

With their dashboard of new insights in hand, the Axis team was ready to build a framework for leadership to monitor and respond to key operational metrics on an ongoing basis. Clinic managers who used to spend hours collecting and entering data for one clinic can now update metrics across four clinics in minutes.

Beyond the efficiency gains, the data brought deeper insight into schedule patterns that could influence resourcing, such as cancellations and no-show rates. These metrics had previously been difficult to identify and even tougher to influence. Today, Axis uses their new insights to spot scheduling trends and adjust resources proactively, cutting through the noise to focus on what truly matters for patients and the business.

Great communication has been at the core of Axis’s successful relationship with the athenahealth Advisory Servies team. “We don't always know the data speak, so we’re not sure exactly how to articulate the request,” Naas says. “The Advisory Services team has made it so easy for us to say, ‘Here is the problem and what we want to do,’ and they always just know what we’re asking and run with it.”

The impact of data-driven decision making

The impact on Axis Integrated Mental Health was quick and measurable. Transitioning from manual efforts to accurate, real-time analytics improved the team’s ability to fill providers' schedules and manage capacity.

Since adopting the solution, Axis has seen the following year-over-year changes:

• A 41% increase in filled appointment slots
• A 137% improvement in new patient visits
• A 6% reduction in no-show rates
• A 10% decrease in cancelled appointments

Taken together, these rising metrics reflect a significant improvement in the practice’s overall efficiency and resourcing strategy.

How can Advisory Services help your organization?

Thanks to the partnership with athenahealth’s Advisory Services, Axis Integrated Mental Health has successfully moved beyond manual processes and delayed insights to a place where real-time data drives quick, confident actions.

If you recognize similar challenges in your organization, consider how athenahealth’s Advisory Services can support you in unlocking new efficiency.

Get in touch to learn how this partnership can help you turn complexity into clarity and vision into results.