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Software Component of athenaClinicalsSM Service Complies with 100 Percent of Certification Criteria

athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATHN), a leading provider of internet-based business services for physician practices, announced the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) has approved the software component of athenahealth’s service-based electronic health record (EHR), athenaClinicalsSM Version 9.15.1, as a conditionally CCHIT Certified 08 Ambulatory EHR pending advanced electronic prescribing verification, additionally certified for Child Health. According to CCHIT, athenahealth’s EHR service meets the Certification Commission’s electronic health record (EHR) criteria for physician office-based use. The Commission—a private, nonprofit organization—is the Recognized Certification Body in the United States for certifying health information technology products.

“Two key new areas of interoperability are required to achieve 08 certification,” said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., the chair of CCHIT. “First, ambulatory EHRs must be capable of advanced electronic prescribing functions so physicians can qualify for bonuses under Medicare’s new incentive program. Second, EHRs must be able to send and receive an electronic patient summary. These and other new criteria will ensure that certified health IT products help improve quality, safety, and efficiency while protecting the privacy of health information.”

In the third year of the program’s operation, the criteria and testing have been significantly updated again to provide physicians with more assurance that certified products will meet their needs. The Commission also added 19 criteria to the 200 required in 2007. Those changes were focused on the ability to exchange patient information with other systems. A fully CCHIT Certified 08 Ambulatory EHR ensures:

• additional electronic prescribing features (access to the patient’s medication history, formulary, and eligibility);
• safer medication dosing, adjusted for patient weight and other factors;
• better ability to prevent adverse reactions due to drug interactions or allergies;
• use of standard formats to exchange basic patient information for continuity of care;
• enhanced ability to view x-rays and other diagnostic images;
• better management of patient consents and authorizations; and
• increased use of standard formats when receiving and storing laboratory results.

As a 08 CCHIT Certified product, athenahealth’s EHR service, athenaClinicals, has been tested and passed inspection of 100 percent of these new criteria.

“We feel that achieving CCHIT 08 certification for the software interface of our EHR service and related functionality will enable our physician practice clients to better understand and comply with the various reporting rules associated with emerging pay-for-reporting initiatives like the HITECH Act; as athenahealth works to research, qualify, and update our national clinical network daily in an effort to maximize physician participation and the delivery of care,” said Rob Cosinuke, Chief Marketing Officer for athenahealth.

About CCHIT

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®) is a private, nonprofit organization that has been named by the federal government as the Recognized Certification Body for health information technology. Its mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating a credible, sustainable certification program. The certification requirements are based on widely accepted industry standards and involve the work of hundreds of expert volunteers and input from a variety of stakeholders throughout the health care industry. More information on CCHIT and CCHIT Certified® products is available at http://www.cchit.org and at www.ehrdecisions.com.

“CCHIT” and “CCHIT Certified” are registered marks of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.

About athenahealth, Inc.

athenahealth, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet-based business services for physician practices. athenahealth’s service offerings are based on proprietary web-native practice management and electronic health record (EHR) software, a continuously updated payer knowledge-base, integrated back-office service operations, and automated and live patient communication services. For more information visit http://www.athenahealth.com or call 888-652-8200.

Source: athenahealth, Inc.