Closing the health equity gap
ATHENAHEALTH TURNS TO ITS EMPLOYEES TO HELP COMBAT THE EFFECTS OF BIAS IN THE HEALTHCARE ECOSYSTEM
Interacting with healthcare providers while dealing with a medical issue can be an anxiety-raising experience: on top of concerns about your own wellbeing, there are financial worries and the frustrations of navigating a complex bureaucracy. It’s even more fraught for patients who are transgender or nonbinary—those individuals who often encounter obstacles in many settings, including healthcare. Which is why forward-thinking companies that are seeking ways to improve the customer experience are also bolstering gender-affirming care.
Athenahealth—the Watertown, Ma-based company that creates innovative healthcare technology connecting clinicians, patients, payers, and partners through electronic health records, revenue cycle management, and patient engagement tools—held it first companywide hackathon, in which employees were tasked with developing code-based product enhancements and other new solutions that would bridge equity gaps in healthcare. The project that ultimately moved forward led to an improved experience on athenaone, the company’s suite of electronic health records (EHR), medical billing, and patient engagement solutions. The major enhancements enabled more accurate and comprehensive recording and display of patient information—including name used, gender identity, and pronouns—throughout appropriate workflows, summaries, dashboards, and charts.
“It provides awareness and visibility into the true patient you’re talking to and facilitates a better conversation,” says Chad Dodd, Athenahealth’s vice president of product development. “That starts at the front desk, with making someone feel comfortable and welcome in the practice, and continues all the way into the conversation with the provider.”
A few months after the May 2021 hackathon, more than 100 employees collaborated during a five-day codefest (another first for the company) that brought a slew of ideas to athenaone.
This commitment to an idea-driven company culture has earned Athenahealth a place on Fast Company’s list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators.
A PUSH FOR “RADICAL NEW THINKING”
While the hackathon and codefest are the most visible recent examples of Athenahealth’s dedication to innovation, they’re far from the only ways in which the company fosters collaboration and fresh ideas. The company invests approximately $250 million each year in research and development—nearly one third of its 6,000 employees work in R&D.
Athenahealth is simultaneously exploring new ways to maximize its rich human capital with an increased commitment to attract, retain, and develop employees from diverse backgrounds and with a broad range of experiences and perspectives. The goal is to create a workplace culture that celebrates uniqueness, expands inclusion, and ultimately helps the company’s efforts to reduce the effects of bias on healthcare. “We take pride in not only the diversity of team members, but the diversity of thought, the openness, and the collaboration among them,” Dodd says.
The company embeds this approach into its corporate social responsibility program, athenagives, which focuses on expanding access to high-quality healthcare and food security, as well as supporting the development of the providers and technologists who will drive that access in the future. The program includes philanthropy, employee volunteering, and donations. In addition, athenagives supports STEM education and works in strategic partnership with select nonprofit organizations—efforts that reinforce the company’s values and strengthen its culture. “With health equity, there’s a huge gap—and a huge opportunity,” Dodd says. “That’s why we have a laser focus on solving these problems.”