After releasing is third quarter financial results late last week, Watertown, Mass.-based athenahealth announced a number of ways it plans to improve its culture and growth strategies.
Boston Business Journal listened in on athenahealth's Oct. 21 earnings call, during which the health IT vendor revealed three major initiatives.
1. A new executive role. In May, athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush said the company created a "chief people officer" role. During last week's call, athenahealth CFO Karl Stubelis said the company recruited an individual for the position, but did not reveal who it is. The new person is expected to begin in December.
"We look forward to this new leader serving as our cultural champion," Mr. Stubelis said during the call.
2. A shift in sales pitches. When the government mandated the use of EHRs, many physicians scrambled to purchase one. But that rush is slowly declining and physicians are no longer urgently searching for an EHR vendor. Therefore, athenahealth plans to alter its sales pitch style to attract physicians.
"There is no sort of Uncle Sam with a rifle sitting on the lakeside going to blow you away if you don't make a move. So that changes the mandate, you've got to build a more organic cost base [and] sort of internally direct a strategic mandate in your prospect," Mr. Bush said during the call.
3. Growth in More Disruption Please program. Since beginning operations in 2011, athenahealth's More Disruption Please program has provided startups with the opportunity to sell to athenahealth clients. Mr. Bush stressed his interest in expanding the program, noting that one company he saw in the program could enable athenahealth to make individual screens for different types of physicians.
"That is really exciting to me, [and] that is the first time I have seen the real potential of MDP coming together," he said.