Hallmark Health Partners With athenahealth For Improved Care Coordination And More Proactive Population Health Management

Cloud-Based Service Increases Network-Wide Data Visibility and Insight Into Provider and Patient Activity to Reduce Costs and Increase Quality of Care

Watertown, MA (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHN), a leading provider of cloud-based services for electronic health record (EHR), practice management, care coordination, and population management, today announced that Hallmark Health System has selected "athenaClarity," a cloud-based practice and population management service that delivers actionable insight in both fee-for-service and risk-based payment environments. "athenaClarity" will be used to gain advanced insight into network-wide data across disparate information systems and in turn empower Hallmark Health System's physician leadership to more proactively manage its patient population and engage in new reimbursement contracts.

Hallmark Health System is the leading charitable provider of vital health services to Boston's northern communities. The health system network is comprised of two outstanding hospitals, Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford and Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, as well as many outpatient sites and more than 700 physicians, with more than 100,000 affiliated patients.

Participating in both commercial and CMS Pioneer risk contracts, Hallmark Health System sought a technology solution that would enable the health system to more aggressively manage and track patient activity across its growing patient population, including at-risk populations, such as the elderly or those with chronic conditions. Hallmark Health System sought a data engagement model that would help oversee all clinical, financial, and operational data. Hallmark Health System selected "athenaClarity" because of its unique ability to harmonize claims as well as administrative and clinical data across multiple health IT systems and develop insight from that data to guide actions that align with revenue and quality of care goals.

Kevin Hoppe, executive director and system vice president, Hallmark Health System, said: "New reimbursement models have accelerated our interest in gaining more insight and control over those at-risk patient populations we serve here at Hallmark. As a Medicare Pioneer ACO participant, we needed a population health manager that could successfully integrate data across different systems and our current IT infrastructure, giving us a network-wide view. With athenahealth's population manager, we plan to better understand where our services are being delivered, which patients are the most at-risk and what their activity looks like, in turn reducing costs to our patients and providers, and increasing our overall population."

Todd Rothenhaus, M.D., CMO, athenahealth, added: "Health care is rapidly migrating toward new payment models—provider organizations everywhere are going with the option to take on responsibility for the total cost and quality of the population of patients under their care. With athenahealth, Hallmark Health can be proactive in accounting for each and every one of their patients, knowing where they go to receive care and any cost associated with that care. What's more, our population management solution delivers the necessary insight, as part of the clinical workflow, to influence patient activity that most effectively meets clinical quality goals, reduces costs, and improves outcomes."

For more information on athenahealth's full suite of cloud-based services for physicians and hospitals, please visit our website, www.athenahealth.com, or follow along on our blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

About athenahealth, Inc.
athenahealth is a leading provider of cloud-based services for EHR, practice management, and care coordination. athenahealth's mission is to be caregivers' most trusted service, helping them do well doing the right thing. For more information, please visit www.athenahealth.com or call 888-652-8200.

About Hallmark Health
Hallmark Health System is the premier, charitable provider of vital health services to Boston's northern communities. The system includes Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford; Melrose Wakefield Hospital, Melrose; Hallmark Health Hematology and Oncology Center, Stoneham; The CHEM Center for MRI, Stoneham; Hallmark Health Medical Center, Reading; Hallmark Health VNA and Hospice; Lawrence Memorial/Regis College Nursing and Radiography Programs, Medford and Hallmark Health Medical Associates, Inc. Hallmark Health is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital for cardiology and Tufts Medical Center for neonatology and the Joslin Diabetes Center for diabetes care.

© Copyright 2013, GlobeNewswire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.