Boston — Marana Health, a Tucson-based Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), has selected athenahealth’s cloud-based platform, athenaOne, to unify its clinical, dental, and financial systems in a move aimed at advancing patient care and operational efficiency.
The healthcare provider, formerly known as MHC Healthcare, serves over 60,000 patients through a team of 118 providers. The adoption of athenaOne, including its dental module, is designed to help Marana Health strengthen its approach to whole-person care by integrating medical and dental records, enabling more coordinated treatment and improved clinical decision-making.
Marana Health CEO Joshua Carzoli said the organization is embracing the future of healthcare with this transition. “athenaOne will help us eliminate the complexities of managing multiple systems, engage patients through their preferred channels, and allow our staff to focus on delivering the best possible care,” Carzoli said. “This partnership enables us to maximize our resources and offer patients a more continuous and thoughtful care experience.”
A key driver behind the shift was the need to empower patients with easier access to their health data and care teams. athenahealth’s digital tools, including a patient portal and the athenaPatient™ mobile app, provide features like online appointment scheduling, prescription refill requests, secure messaging, and automated reminders via text and email. These tools aim to improve patient involvement in treatment decisions and increase adherence to care plans.
For clinicians, the transition to athenaOne promises a more efficient and intuitive experience. With a single electronic health record (EHR) system, providers will be able to access comprehensive patient histories, benefit from streamlined workflows, and collaborate more effectively across care teams. The unified platform allows real-time data sharing, improving communication among providers and ensuring that patients receive consistent, informed care regardless of the setting.
Dr. Damilola Oluyitan-Okeze, Marana’s chief clinical officer, emphasized that athenaOne will enhance both clinical quality and efficiency. “With improved documentation standards and a user-friendly interface, we will better serve our patients,” she said. “The platform is also critical to our success in value-based care contracts, supporting workflow optimization and deepening patient engagement.”
Staff at Marana Health will also benefit from athenaOne’s modern features and embedded artificial intelligence, which are designed to reduce administrative burdens. These include AI-powered documentation tools and specialty-specific workflows tailored for areas such as behavioral health and women’s health. athenahealth’s ongoing platform updates aim to help organizations like Marana stay ahead of industry changes while focusing more time on direct patient care.
“FQHCs like Marana are essential to our healthcare system, yet they face persistent challenges such as funding instability, growing value-based care demands, and rising patient expectations,” said Chris Kondrat, chief customer officer at athenahealth. “We are proud to support Marana in modernizing their operations so they can concentrate on delivering exceptional care.”
By joining athenahealth’s network of more than 13,000 community health center providers, Marana Health positions itself to improve outcomes for its diverse patient population while navigating a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
