athenaClinicals

Pulls in medical records from other facilities

Multitasking

Easy to find documents

Can be slow at times

Does not always pull in records from other facilities quickly

Quality measures sometimes hard to satisfy, must have exact documentation it is looking for

Athena is able to create a medication list from the patient's pharmacy purchase history. This aides in compiling a comprehensive list quickly, especially when the patients do not know what meds they are on. The downside to this module is that every time that you add a medication that is not on the list, it turns it into an order that the provider needs to sign. There are many times that you need to make an addition, that the provider does not want to sign as an order.

The patient history module is easy to configure to meet the needs of the organization.

There are many areas where Athena can improve. The support for surgery centers is non-existent. I was told that 2017 was going to be the year of the surgery center with opportunities to improve the system for that application. This never happened and the team that was supposed to assist me was disbanded.

The list of prior surgeries is cumbersome and difficult to use unless you happen to know the CPT code for the procedure. We end up choosing the closest procedure that we can find and making a note to clarify what we are listing.

The medication administration module is hard coded and cannot be changed. There are options that are absolutely ridiculous but we are told that they must stay that way. For example, an IV fluid rate is set at ml per minute rather than the standard of ml per hour. IV start sites are anything from the hand to rectal. When you give a medication it assumes that you are doing so based on a verbal order and requires that you document the verbal order. We give meds based on written orders almost all the time.

athenaClinicals is a lightweight interface that is easy to navigate.

The problem list is easy to find, and adding documentation in the appropriate areas is intuitive.

The scheduling software included functions nicely for an office practice.

The problem list could use a sort by date function. Long-time patients tend to aggregate a massive problem list, most of which is comprised of old resolved issues.

The provider schedule view settings could use more filters. At times while in the clinic, I was unable to see patients assigned to my provider due to other scheduled visits.

Billing

Meaningful use dashboard

Reports

Encounter plans and order set customized

Customer services and availability

Less clicks for charting one provider (had a ridiculous amount of click to complete a pre op visit)

Better dashboard

Templates are widely available for most specialties. They are easy to use and modifiable.

Movement through the clinical exam is expedited with the interview and template. PFSH remains constant on the record.

Records sent to other providers contain concise and easy to read notes.

The cost is very high compared to other programs.

Some people find the program difficult to learn.

The billing software requires more work than is described when they are trying to sell you the program.

The sales staff that we dealt with had the vibe of car salesmen. At times very pushy and the room for negotiation grew at each interaction. The high cost first quoted is very negotiable but they "up charge" for many things.

Athenaclinicals is extremely streamlined to enhance capturing patient information in a timely manner.

Athena also cuts down on reminder calls, rescheduling, and patients requiring follow-up as it has several automated systems that perform these tasks for your staff.

Athena also calls and reports all normal testing performed in the office saving your staff valuable time.

Quality programs - able to see what measures are outstanding for the patient

Reporting - able to report on multiple financial reports as well as clinical information

Standardization of clinical information - the system forces users within the same specialty to use the same templates (as a starting point), therefore it is easier to standardize protocols and treatments of care

Medication updates - when changing the dose of a medication, the medication list should automatically update

Multi-user conflict - when more than one user is in the chart at the same time, it is possible that information can be lost

Autosave feature - this feature is actually available in their new version which we hope to roll out later this year

Acts as an "interface" with documents that typically would come over a fax.

Helps force a documentation workflow that helps us meet Meaningful Use.

Customer service is wonderful with Athena. I can call in anytime and have a representative shadow my screen and walk through any current obstacles I might be facing.

The ergonomics...the screen is very difficult to view - as the light colors do not provide for contrast.

The flow of the documentation can be difficult. It works down the screen vs. allowing users to jump easy. The "jump" function is at the bottom of the screen and the dropdown menu sometimes follows below the bottom of your computer screen.

It's very expensive for the added "behind the scenes" customer service you are getting. Many labs are now offering an interface for free which would put typical items that are faxed into a queue or their appropriate place. Many times the items that are "managed" by Athena are still having to be managed by the office buckets anyway - which is a selling point of Athena.

The templates that are built are far from intuitive. A point and click system is much easier for a busy physician...something that has a macro and pre-completed notes. Athena makes this process cumbersome, so many physicians are double documenting (paper, then EMR).

athenahealth gives you support from an outstanding team. Just a phone call away. There is not a question they will not answer or will not find out the answer for you quickly

Meaningful use is a piece of cake with athenahealth. The reporting is at your fingertips and the training to make sure the data is collected is priceless

Patient registration is simple and efficient for the staff to obtain via phone. It also makes staff ask questions that are needed to satisfy Meaningful Use

Clinical Documentation is simple. athenahealth made it where most doctors young and old can transition to EMR with as little frustration as possible.

athenahealth communicator takes care of the reminder calls 2 days prior to their appointment.

The schedule needs to be improved. You should be able to see the schedule in a day, a week , in a month view and be able to schedule directly from the schedule.

It's difficult to name items because they are traditionally corrected very quickly