WATERTOWN, Mass., Jan. 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHN), a leading provider of cloud-based services for electronic health record (EHR), practice management, and care coordination, today announced data that shows the steepest rise in flu rates across the U.S. this season, as well as detail on the top ten most flu-impacted states.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=22848
athenahealth's flu statistics are derived from work conducted by athenaResearch, the company's research and disease surveillance team. athenaResearch has been monitoring and reporting on flu rates and other population health information from across the company's national health care big data asset since the government shutdown in October 2013.
"In general, flu findings since Thanksgiving have been steadily increasing. Last week, however, we witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of flu-related patient visits to primary care providers across the U.S.," said Josh Gray, vice president of athenaResearch at athenahealth. "With the holiday season in full swing, the flu has hit a tipping point. It's spreading especially quickly across southern and Gulf Coast states, but Colorado, the Pacific Coast, and New England may also be vulnerable."
Based on data from more than 16,000 primary care providers (PCPs) who use athenaClinicals®, athenahealth's award-winning EHR, and treat over 30 million patients per year across the U.S., athenahealth has identified the following top ten most flu-impacted states, which have the highest proportion of patient visits where flu was diagnosed by the provider, ranked in order of highest flu rate:
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Alabama
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Louisiana
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Texas
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Mississippi
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Georgia
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Colorado
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Kentucky
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North Carolina
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Tennessee
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South Carolina
In addition to the states above, four states (Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, and Utah) had greater than 0.9% flu rates but were excluded due to an insufficient number of visits. A full report on athenaResearch's flu findings and ongoing monitoring can be found on the athenahealth CloudView Blog at: http://www.athenahealth.com/blog/category/analytics-research.
About athenahealth, Inc.
athenahealth is a leading provider of cloud-based services for EHR, practice management, and care coordination. athenahealth's mission is to be caregivers' most trusted service, helping them do well doing the right thing. For more information, please visit www.athenahealth.com.
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
CONTACT: Holly Spring
athenahealth, Inc. (Media)
media@athenahealth.com
617-402-1631
Dana Quattrochi
athenahealth, Inc. (Investors)
investorrelations@athenahealth.com
617-402-1329
