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Azara Healthcare Introduces New Risk Adjustment Functionality in EHR Plug-In for athenaOne

In a significant stride for population health management, Azara Healthcare has unveiled a new Risk Adjustment Factor (RAF) capability in their EHR Plug-In for athenaOne, athenahealth’s premier electronic health record product. This innovative functionality is designed to enhance the quality of care and streamline administrative workflows at the point of care.

The updated plug-in empowers healthcare providers to efficiently identify and address diagnosis coding gaps related to Medicare/HCC and Medicaid during patient visits. By reducing the administrative workload, this feature allows for improved accuracy in documentation, which is vital for success in value-based care arrangements.

Seamless Integration and Enhanced Documentation

With the integration of this new RAF functionality, users of athenaOne can now dismiss, defer, or add coding for open RAF gaps directly within the system. The introduction of the “Add to EHR” action is particularly noteworthy; it allows providers to log confirmed diagnoses back to the patient’s chart with a single click. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple systems, making chronic condition documentation more efficient and precise, right at the moment of care delivery.

Greg Augustine, Chief Product Technology Officer at Azara Healthcare, emphasized the impact of this integration. “By bringing RAF gap closure directly into the clinical workflow, we are empowering providers to document with confidence while staying focused on patient care,” he stated. This advancement not only simplifies the coding process for healthcare providers but also enhances their overall risk adjustment scores, leading to better financial sustainability and care quality.

Real-time Analytics for Proactive Action

One of the standout features of the Azara EHR Plug-In is its ability to embed real-time population health analytics into the athenaOne interface. This pivotal change is expected to transform how healthcare centers operate by shifting their focus from retrospective reporting to proactive clinical actions. This shift is essential in community health contexts where each patient interaction could be a unique opportunity for intervention.

Providers utilizing both athenaOne and Azara DRVS can now access crucial insights in real time, including data on UDS measures, quality metrics, and patient-level dashboards focusing on chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. Moreover, the Plug-In encompasses social determinants of health, allowing for comprehensive tracking of factors like housing stability, food security, and transportation.

A Comprehensive View of Patient Care

The Azara EHR Plug-In offers a holistic view of patient data directly within the electronic health record, facilitating better decision-making and care coordination. Key functionalities include:

• - Visibility into Care Gaps: Key information such as overdue screenings and vaccinations is displayed directly in patient records, enabling timely interventions.
• - Management of Referrals: Providers can easily access and manage outstanding referrals, enhancing patient follow-through.
• - Simplification of Administrative Tasks: Open RAF gaps are clearly presented, allowing providers to manage them efficiently by either dismissing unnecessary gaps or following up as needed.

This integration ultimately ensures that healthcare providers can dedicate more time to quality patient care and less time managing conflicting systems.

Addressing Market Needs

Effective coding and risk adjustment scoring are increasingly vital for organizations engaged with Medicare Advantage, MSSP ACOs, and other risk-based payment structures. Traditional manual processes for managing and reconciling patient diagnoses often lead to inaccurate patient acuity scores and missed care opportunities. Azara's advanced functionalities in their EHR Plug-In are set to tackle these issues head-on.

Healthcare providers can now:

• - Close RAF Gaps in real time, allowing for the capture of chronic conditions during patient encounters without leaving the EHR.
• - Reduce Administrative Burdens by handling follow-ups directly through the system, creating a clear documentation trail leading to less post-visit management.
• - Maintain Audit-Ready Documentation, helping ensure that all actions taken regarding diagnoses create a reliable basis for risk adjustment calculations and quality reporting.

This latest release of enhanced capabilities is now accessible for athenaOne users through the athenahealth Marketplace. Organizations looking to activate these features are encouraged to reach out to their Azara Client Success Manager or assistance representative for implementation.

About Azara Healthcare

Azara Healthcare is a frontrunner in providing solutions for population health management, having secured the Best in KLAS title for three consecutive years (2023-2025). Their tools are utilized widely by U.S. Federally Qualified Health Centers to enhance care quality and efficiency, spanning operations in all 50 states. For further insights into Azara Healthcare’s offerings, visit www.azarahealthcare.com.