Athenahealth Inc. (NSDQ:ATHN) acquired a patent for its web-based electronic medical record system.
The patent, for "Automated Configuration of Medical Practice Management Systems," represents a new system that will work with the web-based features in the Watertown, Mass.-based firm’s pre-existing practice management software.
The company said, "The patent issued covers the self-service implementation of a medical practice management system. The technology involves receiving information about the medical practice (e.g., address, insurance plan information, provider information) prior to the configuration of the medical practice management system, associating that information with payer rules stored in a database, and requesting additional information for configuration of the medical practice management system to ensure that claims transmitted through the system meet payer requirements."
Athenahealth reported a first-quarter profit decline of 82 percent, despite sales climbing by nearly one-third. The company posted sales of $54.5 million during the three months ended March 31, up 32.8 percent compared with $41.0 million during the same period last year.
