Latest news with #HealthCenters
Business Wire
19-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Leveraging Expertise Derived from Serving 20% of All Federally Qualified Health Centers in the U.S., athenahealth Further Expands its Investment, Introduces athenaOne ® for Community Health Centers
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--athenahealth, a leading provider of network-enabled software and services for health care practices and systems nationwide, today announced athenaOne ® for Community Health Centers, an expansion of its already robust solution that serves more than 13,000 community health providers. This launch signals the company's continued commitment to improving equitable healthcare access for diverse populations and underserved communities nationwide. 'Our commitment to supporting equitable care is at the core of what we do and with athenaOne for Community Health Centers," said Chad Dodd, vice president of product management at athenahealth. With more than 15 years supporting community health providers on its network, athenahealth has a deep understanding of the dynamic nature of these organizations and the unique role they play in delivering accessible, high-quality care to the patients who need it most. athenaOne for Community Health Centers builds on this expertise and is a comprehensive solution that enables health centers in supporting whole-person care, with integrated medical, dental, women's health, and behavioral health workflows, among others. "As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), we depend on digital tools and advanced technologies to deliver comprehensive, accessible care to our growing patient populations. In these uncertain times, it's crucial to work with a partner that understands our model of care, and we value athenahealth's expertise and commitment to improving healthcare for all," said Jesse Suphan, director of revenue cycle at CHP Berkshires, a community health center with nine locations offering exceptional and compassionate care for patients of all ages across medical, dental, and behavioral health services. "athenahealth's approach to whole-patient care – integrating dental and medical workflows within the EHR – will be a game-changer in enabling us to provide the best care for our patients." With health centers facing challenges including larger patient loads and shifting regulatory and policy requirements, athenaOne for Community Health Centers will equip health centers with the tools they need to navigate this complex environment while focusing on delivering personalized, compassionate care. Among the range of features that support their unique needs: Integrated Patient Records: A complete patient record, pulling in data from various sources including from different care sites, EHRs, payer data, and more that provides the holistic view necessary to deliver informed and coordinated care, particularly for patients with complex needs and those facing social determinants of health. Value-Based Care Support: Tools to help health centers manage a variety of value-based care models that can support a more coordinated approach to patient care involving multiple care sites and services, improving patient outcomes and financial performance. Embedded AI Technologies: Continually evolving capabilities that aim to streamline processes, improve the patient experience, and reduce administrative burden. This includes Ambient Notes for clinical documentation as well as AI and automation tools to improve financial outcomes across RCM processes. Ongoing, Dedicated Support: Customer-success model with dedicated teams that provide health centers with timely onboarding, specific configurations, and best practice recommendations. These dedicated teams understand the complexities and needs of health centers that offer multi-layered services and require expertise in regulatory and performance reporting, for instance UDS. 'At Centerville Clinics, we prioritize our community and treat our patients like we would our family members. Moving to athenahealth gives us the autonomy to make decisions that are best for our patients, staff, and community,' said Barry Niccolai, CEO of Centerville Clinics, a network of medical facilities in southwestern Pennsylvania providing a wide range of healthcare services to over 40,000 patients. 'We unanimously selected athenahealth for their culture of partnership and look forward to modernizing our capabilities and improving the care experience for all.' As the future of care continues to evolve, so will athenahealth's investment in health centers, enabling these centers have the tools needed to thrive and provide better outcomes for every patient, regardless of their background or circumstances. These investments include enhancements that will help health centers capture eligible funds more accurately, expanded care manager workflows that will allow health centers to focus on population health management, and new features to enhance value-based care reporting and digital patient engagement. 'Health centers play a vital role in delivering essential healthcare to diverse populations who face access barriers, yet many are facing increasing pressures due to fluctuating funding, shrinking reimbursements, increased demand for value-based-care, and rising patient expectations,' said Chad Dodd, vice president of product management at athenahealth. 'Our commitment to supporting equitable care is at the core of what we do and with athenaOne for Community Health Centers, we are ensuring these centers have what they need to remain agile and forward-thinking while providing high-quality care to their community.' Learn more about athenaOne for Community Health Centers, the latest investment from athenahealth in developing purpose-built solutions for specialty organizations. Previously, the company released athenaOne for Women's Health, Urgent Care, Behavioral Health, and Orthopedics, and will announce additional solutions including athenaOne for ASCs later in the year. In addition to this new offering, athenahealth continues to support and invest deeply in the community health ecosystem, including through athenaGives which grants more than 400 free and charitable clinics with free EHR services. About athenahealth Inc. athenahealth strives to cure complexity and simplify the practice of healthcare. Our innovative technology includes electronic health records, revenue cycle management, and patient engagement solutions that help healthcare providers, administrators, and practices eliminate friction for patients while getting paid efficiently. athenahealth partners with practices with purpose-built software backed by expertise to produce the insights needed to drive better clinical and financial outcomes. We're inspired by our vision to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all. Learn more at
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Opinion - Abortion is back at SCOTUS — and this time the case could destroy Medicaid
Last Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could strip millions of Medicaid recipients of their right to choose their health care provider, marking a new battle over reproductive rights in the U.S. In Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, the court will decide whether Medicaid recipients can challenge a state's decision to block them from accessing care at Planned Parenthood Health Centers. At issue is the freedom of choice provision, a federal law establishing that Medicaid patients can obtain care from any qualified provider. This case could set a precedent allowing states to dictate health care options based on political ideology rather than medical needs. A ruling against Planned Parenthood would be a historic shift, permitting states to exclude providers simply because they offer abortion services — even though Medicaid funds are already prohibited from covering abortion in most cases. The freedom of choice provision is a longstanding and widely accepted law, so much that the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals repeatedly rejected South Carolina's attempts to terminate Planned Parenthood as a provider under Medicaid. So why is the Supreme Court taking the case? Because anti-abortion activists are relentless in their attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. Ending Planned Parenthood's participation in Medicaid is part of a decades-long plan to financially hurt the organization and a Project 2025 strategy that has gained traction since Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and under the Trump administration. It's no coincidence that the Alliance for Defending Freedom (the group behind the efforts to revoke the Food and Drug Administration's approval for the abortion medication mifepristone) is representing the state of South Carolina. Based on last week's arguments, it was clear that the justices were skeptical about the case, and both liberal and conservative justices had major questions about the validity of South Carolina's argument. Beyond politics, this case has major public health implications. First, attacks on Planned Parenthood threaten abortion and reproductive health access nationwide. If successful, the case could shutter clinics, cutting off access to critical abortion care for people across the U.S. — even in states where abortion remains legal after the Dobbs decision. Millions could lose access to contraception, testing for sexually transmitted infections, HIV treatment, gender-affirming care, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and more. Research shows that limiting reproductive health services has horrific ripple effects, reducing access to the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health care. Second, this case threatens the very structure of Medicaid, one of our most effective bipartisan anti-poverty measures. For over six decades, Medicaid has played a crucial role in helping people afford reproductive health services. Medicaid covers 1 in 5 people in the U.S. (just over 83 million people), the majority of whom are people of color because of systemic racism. Medicaid is also the largest public funder of family planning services, covering 41 percent of births in the U.S. Expanding Medicaid services has improved access to prenatal and postpartum care, contraception, HIV screenings and abortion care. If the court allows states to block providers for ideological reasons, Medicaid patients could lose access to high-quality, affordable care that meets their needs. The status of reproductive rights in the U.S. is changing quickly. Last week's oral arguments are coming just days after the Trump administration attempted to freeze millions of dollars in federal family planning grants, and weeks after the administration dismissed the case the Biden administration brought against Idaho, claiming that the state's abortion ban violates the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. It is clear that the Medina case will have far-reaching impacts on the health and well-being of people who use the Medicaid program, and is part of a coordinated affront to reproductive health care in the U.S. It is crucial that everyone who cares about health care access and the freedom to choose your health care provider to understand the Medina case. All eyes must be on the Supreme Court as it decides on a core pillar of our nation's reproductive health safety net. Dana M. Johnson, Ph.D., is a health disparities research postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Terri-Ann Thompson, Ph.D., is a senior research scientist at Ibis Reproductive Health. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
