Leading medical billing and records software provider Athenahealth Inc (ATHN) has announced that Texas-based non-profit healthcare company CHRISTUS Health has adopted its comprehensive suite of web-based solutions. CHRISTUS will implement Athenahealth’s services for its fast expanding “CHRISTUS Provider Network (CPN)” physician network platform that comprises more than 150 physicians across over 40 hospitals in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.
CHRISTUS Health will deploy Athenahealth’s “athenaClinicals” electronic health record (EHR) solution as the backbone of a new clinical platform on the CPN, which is designed to boost coordination of care and communication between physicians and patients as well as dissemination of medical information. Athenahealth will also provide its web-based billing and practice management solution “athenaCollector” and patient communication software “athenaCommunicator.”
The new platform will allow physicians to leverage Athenahealth’s web-based technology and enable them to secure incentives offered by the HITECH Act, which was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Physicians and hospitals that adopt EHR and use them meaningfully are eligible for incentives under the ARRA, a federal stimulus package aimed at increasing the use of EHR by medical practitioners.
Massachusetts-based Athenahealth is a leading provider of Internet-based business services for physician practices. The company’s services leverage proprietary web-native practice management and EHR software, integrated back-office service operations and automated patient communication services. Athenahealth delivers its solutions over its centrally hosted physician network “athenaNet.”
Athenahealth has done a remarkable job in differentiating athenaCollector, its principal service, and building it into one of the leading brands in the Health IT market. Higher adoption of athenaCollector and athenaClinical by physicians and medical providers has fueled a revenue growth of 28% in second-quarter fiscal 2010.
However, Athenahealth continues to face stiff competition across all of its operating platforms with established Health IT players such as Allscripts-Misys (MDRX) and Quality Systems (QSII) posing a major threat to the company. Nevertheless, Athenahealth remains optimistic about the growth prospects in each of its end-markets boosted by expanded adoption of its premium solutions.
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