Athena Health

Healthcare Scheduling That Just Works

When patients call your practice, they expect the same care on the phone as in person. The Athena Health integration connects 24CallDesk directly to your athenahealth EHR, enabling real-time appointment scheduling, patient verification, and HIPAA-compliant communication.

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What It Does

Real-Time Scheduling

• Book appointments directly into athenahealth's calendar
• Check availability across providers and locations
• Respect scheduling rules — appointment types, durations, and buffer times
• Send confirmations via SMS or email automatically

Patient Verification

• Look up patients by name, DOB, or phone number
• Verify insurance status before scheduling
• Check eligibility for specific appointment types
• Create new patient records when needed

Intelligent Routing

• Route by department — new patients to intake, follow-ups to their provider
• Escalate urgent calls — chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe symptoms
• After-hours handling — on-call provider notifications, ER guidance

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Setup

Prerequisites

1. athenahealth practice admin access
2. Your athenahealth Practice ID
3. 24CallDesk Professional or Enterprise plan

Finding Your Practice ID

Your Practice ID is a unique number assigned to your practice in athenahealth. To find it:

1. Log into athenaOne as an administrator
2. Navigate to Settings → Practice Info (or Admin → Practice Settings)
3. Look for Practice ID or Context ID — it's typically a 5-6 digit number
4. If you can't find it, contact your athenahealth representative or check your athenahealth welcome documentation

Connection Steps

1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Athena Health in 24CallDesk
2. Enter your athenahealth Practice ID in the input field
3. Click Connect to authorize the integration
4. Select your default Department and Provider
5. Enable the Appointment Types you want available for scheduling
6. Save your settings

Provider Mapping

Connect your 24CallDesk call flows to specific providers:

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Appointment Types

Supported Scheduling

• Office visits — in-person appointments
• Telehealth — video visit links auto-generated
• Procedures — with prep instructions
• Lab work — with fasting requirements noted
• Follow-ups — linked to previous visits

Scheduling Rules

24CallDesk respects your athenahealth configuration:

• Provider schedules and time off
• Appointment type durations
• New vs. established patient slots
• Insurance requirements
• Location-specific availability

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Patient Communication

Appointment Reminders

Automated reminders sync with athenahealth:

• 48-hour reminder — SMS and/or email
• Day-of reminder — With check-in instructions
• Telehealth link — Sent 30 minutes before video visits

Post-Call Actions

After each call, 24CallDesk can:

• Update patient contact preferences
• Add call notes to the patient chart
• Flag for provider review
• Trigger follow-up workflows

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HIPAA Compliance

Data Handling

• Encrypted transmission — TLS 1.3 for all API calls
• Encrypted storage — AES-256 for any cached data
• Minimum necessary — Only access data needed for scheduling
• Audit logging — Complete record of all data access

Access Controls

• Role-based permissions for staff
• Automatic session timeouts
• Multi-factor authentication required
• IP allowlisting available

Business Associate Agreement

24CallDesk signs BAAs with all healthcare customers. Contact us at support@24calldesk.com to initiate.

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Common Workflows

New Patient Scheduling

1. Caller requests appointment
2. AI collects name, DOB, insurance, reason for visit
3. System checks if patient exists in athenahealth
4. If new: creates patient record with collected info
5. Finds available slots matching criteria
6. Books appointment and sends confirmation
7. Creates intake task for front desk

Prescription Refill Request

1. Caller requests refill
2. AI verifies patient identity (name + DOB)
3. Collects medication name and pharmacy
4. Creates refill task in athenahealth
5. Notifies appropriate provider
6. Confirms request received with caller

Appointment Rescheduling

1. Caller needs to reschedule
2. AI looks up existing appointment
3. Cancels original with reason code
4. Finds new available slots
5. Books new appointment
6. Updates patient record

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Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

"Failed to authenticate with Athena"

• Verify your Practice ID is correct (check athenaOne → Settings → Practice Info)
• Ensure your practice has API access enabled with athenahealth
• Contact athenahealth support if the error persists

"Unable to connect to athenahealth"

• Check athenahealth system status
• Verify your practice's API access is active
• Confirm IP allowlisting if enabled in your athenahealth settings

"Patient not found"

• Verify spelling of name
• Try alternate phone numbers
• Check DOB format (MM/DD/YYYY)

Scheduling Errors

"No availability found"

• Check provider schedules in athenahealth
• Verify appointment type is configured
• Confirm insurance is accepted

"Appointment type not available"

• Map appointment types in 24CallDesk settings
• Check patient eligibility for that type

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Best Practices

Start with high-volume appointment types. Map your most common scheduling requests first, then expand.

Train on your terminology. Upload your appointment type descriptions so the AI uses familiar language.

Set up escalation paths. Define what constitutes an urgent call and where it routes.

Review weekly. Check scheduling accuracy and adjust mappings as needed.

Keep credentials current. Set calendar reminders for API credential renewal.