athenahealth is getting into video visits.
The Massachusetts-based EHR provider has announced a partnership with Chiron Health, and will soon be offering video telehealth services through its More Disruption Please program.
[See also: Survey: Docs like video ]
Andrew O'Hara, Chiron Health's founder and CEO, tells mHealth News that athenahealth is the first major distribution partner for the two-year-old, Austin, Texas-based company. He sees the company's platform as an ideal fit for athenahealth's 67,000 healthcare providers, who are looking for a HIPAA-compliant platform for follow-up care.
"Healthcare is moving toward app-based modules that enable providers to remotely deliver care," he said. Chiron Health "offers an outpatient telemedicine platform that integrates into the physician's clinical workflow."
The two companies share a background in cloud-based billing that could make video visits attractive to the skeptical healthcare provider. O'Hara said Chiron Health's telemedicine rules database will integrate with athenahealth's EHR to verify insurance coverage, making sure that the physician is reimbursed for the video visit.
[See also: Patients: telehealth tops the doctor's office]
athenahealth joins a growing list of EHR providers either partnering with telemedicine companies to offer videoconferencing platforms or launching their own services, in what's generally seen as a push to make the electronic medical record platform more accommodating for healthcare providers. Studies have shown that as many as three-quarters of all follow-up visits can be handled via telemedicine rather than in-person, and that video visits are much more convenient and cost-effective for non-urgent care needs.
[See also: EHR satisfaction jumps, thanks to mHealth, connectivity tools]
