Growing from 10 to 110 patients in under a year

Starting a behavioral health practice in a saturated, highly regulated landscape is no small feat—especially when you're doing it alone. In March 2024, Michelle Gilreath, PMHNP-BC, CEN, CCRN, set out to establish a private practice and offer whole-person psychiatric care while navigating the dual, demanding identities of clinician and business owner.

She tackled the challenges of starting a business in a complex and heavily regulated environment head-on, intent on caring for her patients on her own terms – with humanity, efficiency, and autonomy. “I saw how broken and burdensome the system was, both for providers and patients,” Gilreath shared. “I wanted Mindwell to be different.”

Gilreath knew that the technology she chose as the foundation for her practice would have the strongest impact on her ability to succeed, thrive, and avoid a crushing amount of administrative overhead. She also knew her deal-breakers:

1. Her solution needed to be comprehensive, such that she didn’t end up juggling a long list of vendors;
2. Customer support, and having a partner that she can count on in difficult times, was essential;
3. She needed a platform that was slick and easily usable for patients, so she didn’t have to spend unnecessary amounts of time helping them navigate their clinical and financial information.

According to Gilreath, athenaOne® checked every box. With integrated EHR, practice and revenue cycle management, and patient engagement products, the platform gave Mindwell a sturdy launchpad—and room to grow. Not only that, but athenaOne® for Behavioral Health is tailored with the unique needs of specialists like Gilreath so she can tap into workflows that work the way she does.

A partner in success since day 1

Gilreath shared that her onboarding experience with athenahealth was incredibly structured and supportive. She said, “Each week we had a roadmap, clear goals, and a team checking in. It built my confidence not just as a user of the platform, but as a new business owner.”

Onboarding to athenaOne takes several weeks to complete all the phases of learning, so athenahealth teams can ensure you’re ready to navigate the platform. Gilreath was eager for Mindwell to go live as soon as she signed on the dotted line and therefore initially hesitant about the waiting period; however, once she completed the requisite training and implementation, she felt the journey was meticulously planned.

The onboarding process and athenahealth support teams not only familiarized Gilreath with athenaOne, but they also helped “build [her] confidence as a provider and business owner.” From the outset, her Customer Success Manager (CSM) served as a source of guidance, knowledge, and encouragement, helping Gilreath navigate the complexities of running a practice. She connects with her CSM regularly, who shares data and opportunities for Mindwell to further optimize operations, which allows Gilreath to focus more on her immediate work and patient care.

A foundation of clinical and financial efficiency

Once she was up and running on athenaOne, building her patient volume, and learning the revenue cycle ropes, Gilreath discovered a host of features that enhanced Mindwell's efficiency.

In terms of clinical documentation, Gilreath feels she has streamlined every part of the visit life cycle. She loves the focused one-stage encounter to streamline her patient visits. As the sole clinician, administrator, biller, and front desk staff member, every second she can save documenting visits helps. Gilreath has seen an impressive 85.3% same-day encounter close rate, which limits the amount of work she needs to complete outside of the clinic. Similarly, the integrated Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) data right in the chart allows her to perform drug checks seamlessly within the platform, and has been invaluable for her psychiatric practice.

On the revenue cycle management side, Gilreath finds that navigating insurance complexities is one of the most challenging burdens. The work athenaOne does behind the scenes to process insurance card images has proven a huge boon for her. “When a patient uploads their card and athena finds the right package, I love, love, love that,” she expressed.

Growing 10x in less than a year

Since launching her practice, Gilreath has experienced remarkable success. She says, “I used to wonder if I could make this sustainable. Now I know I can scale it.” In just 11 months, she increased her patient volume from 10 to 150 without compromising quality of care or getting overloaded with administrative work. This first year of business has established a great foundation for both current operations and future expansion.

This impressive growth is complemented by increased revenue cycle performance, allowing Mindwell to move forward in a framework of optimization versus survival:

• 10x increase in patient volume
• 3.0 days average cDAR
• 4.8 days average time to bill
• 0% average missing slips rate
• 2.7% back-end denial rate

Gilreath's journey with athenahealth has not only set up Mindwell for success but also instilled a sense of confidence in her abilities as a provider and business owner. With the support of athenaOne, she is well on her way to achieving her goals of providing comprehensive, human care while minimizing administrative burdens.

Her story is one of grit, vision, and strategic technology decisions. Of her choice to partner with athenaOne, Gilreath now says, “athena’s behind-the-scenes support lets me stay front and center for my patients.” With athenaOne as her operational engine, she has built a modern behavioral health practice that puts both patients and providers first.

Connect with us to learn more

Reach out to us today to learn how athenaOne® for Behavioral Health can help your practice thrive. Our team is dedicated to empowering healthcare providers with the tools and support they need to succeed. Let us partner with you on your journey to transforming patient care and achieving your business goals.