How a rural practice thrives with the right partner

Cookeville Gynecology & Urogynecology serves as the only practice of its specialty in a 14-county region in Tennessee. Patients regularly travel over an hour to reach the practice, and with such a far-spread population comes unique challenges and responsibilities.

Michelle Mainord, practice administrator at Cookeville, has navigated the complexities of rural healthcare since the practice's founding in 2011. Her experience managing operations for an organization in a niche specialty with a geographically isolated population gives her deep insight into the technology and partnership decisions that can make or break patient access in underserved regions.

Why they chose athenaOne®

In 2011, when the practice launched, Mainord and the physician owner of Cookeville knew they needed to select a technology partner. Fresh from a painful EHR conversion at another organization, they knew exactly what they didn't want, which is complexity that would bog down patient care.

"The physician owner said, 'I really need EMR for dummies,'" Mainord recalls. "And [athenaOne] was very user friendly."

Rather than rely on vendor presentations alone, Mainord visited practices already using the systems under consideration to watch real workflows in action. The decision became clear when she saw athenaOne supporting actual patient care.

In the 15 years since, they haven't looked back.

“In hindsight, we made an excellent choice going with athenahealth,” Mainord shares. “We have seen the growth over the years with athenaOne and its capabilities, along with our practice and what we're able to offer.”

Efficiency that scales as you grow

Rural healthcare organizations often face unique staffing challenges. Cookeville has addressed this challenge with athenaOne’s robust, integrated workflows that reduce administrative work wherever possible.

Mainord spoke to how bi-directional lab interfaces eliminate manual data entry, self-check-in tools collect payments before visits, and automated quality reporting supports value-based care programs without additional administrative burden.

She has seen innovation help her staff do more with less over the years, and she anticipates even more opportunity with the implementation of AI in healthcare.

"AI is not going to replace a lot of jobs, necessarily, but it's going to allow us to do jobs more efficiently," Mainord says.

The power of data in advocating for your patients

Cookeville recently relied heavily on athenaOne data during a contract negotiation with a major payer who was threatening significant reimbursement cuts. For a small practice, such cuts could mean choosing between financial survival and their ability to serve a percentage of their patient population.

Mainord gathered athenaOne's robust reporting data including detailed analytics on patient volumes, care patterns, and regional impact. She presented this evidence to the payer to demonstrate that losing this practice would create a healthcare desert for their members across 14 counties.

"We were able to negotiate with one of the payers," she shares. "We showed them that if we have to drop you because we can't afford to see your patients, then this is what that means for your patients."

As a result, the payer agreed to a much smaller reduction than originally proposed, allowing the practice to maintain access for vulnerable rural populations while preserving financial stability.

A reliable partner to support your business

Mainord expresses that, as Cookeville has grown and thrived, they found success hand-in-hand with athenahealth.

As an example, she points to their smooth revenue cycle management process. “Gosh, our net collection rate is really good,” she says. “And that’s a partnership, really, with us and athenaOne.”

She also appreciates that athenahealth doesn't see healthcare technology as one-size-fits-all and offers tailored solutions to her specialty as well as groups for her to connect with other similar practices to learn and share. “I’m definitely glad that athenahealth recognizes our specialty as needing some individualized focus and care.”

The partnership between Cookeville Gynecology & Urogynecology and athenahealth has evolved beyond foundational electronic health record functionality into comprehensive practice support, from revenue cycle optimization to digital patient engagement. Rather than attempting to develop a piecemeal solution with multiple vendors to support their unique population, Cookeville has an integrated platform that scales with their ambition.

Ready to see how athenaOne can support your practice's growth while maintaining the personal touch your patients deserve? Get in touch to discover what's possible when technology truly partners with your vision for patient care.