Athenahealth Collaborates With Cardiovascular Management Services Organization

In May 2024, ambulatory health IT vendor athenahealth announced it has developed versions of its cloud-based EHR software purpose-built for specialty medical practices and sites of care. The first two iterations are for women’s health and urgent care. And although the company has not developed a cardiology-specific version, it has announced a partnership to enhance the capabilities of independent cardiologists to participate in value-based care arrangements.

Boston-based athenahealth is collaborating with Cardiovascular Associates of America (CVAUSA), a management services organization dedicated to cardiology. By working with athenahealth, CVAUSA said it can enable independent cardiology practices to improve clinical and financial performance and thrive in value-based care arrangements. 

Practices affiliated with CVAUSA will now receive preferred status to purchase, deploy, and leverage athenaOne, Athena’s suite of EHR, revenue cycle management and patient engagement solutions.

“We decided to collaborate more closely with athenahealth for two primary reasons. First, because our organizations share a common goal: enabling practices to transform the way they deliver care and prioritizing value-based care arrangements to achieve better outcomes. Second, because many of our cardiologists already have a high satisfaction rate based on their experience with athenaOne,” said Tim Attebery, chief executive officer of CVAUSA, in a statement. “We are committed to supporting the performance, improvement, and growth of our partner groups so that they can deliver quality care, sustainably.” 

Orlando-headquartered CVAUSA \works with more than 23 practices in eight states, with more than 600 providers who serve more than one million unique patients annually. CVAUSA’s vision is to build a national network of cardiovascular organizations united under one umbrella and philosophy that preserves private practice cardiology while enabling clinical innovation. 

“We are here to provide tools and resources that make the practice of cardiology as simple and flexible for our providers as possible – as cost-effectively as possible – so they can optimize quality, efficiency, and provider and patient experiences,” added Jack Sunderman, chief information officer for CVAUSA, in a statement. “This requires comprehensive administrative, clinical, and financial performance support, and we feel athenahealth best meets these needs with their intuitive technology and embedded services.” 

“Value-based care is the present, and the future, of healthcare delivery. Cardiology is becoming one area where these arrangements are more prevalent – and for good reason,” said Bret Connor, chief operating officer of athenahealth, in a statement. “Heart disease is already the leading cause of death in the United States and a significant contributor to medical expenses, particularly as our population ages. That means cardiologists are in a critical position to get rewarded for achieving better health outcomes while managing rapidly increasing costs, and they need the right tools and intelligence to help them do that as effectively and efficiently as possible. With the innovative team at CVAUSA, we are excited to empower practices to do just that.”