athenaOne Reviews

“Could be better”

Pros

The portal does cover the essentials, there's a place to view my personal information and I can access lab/test results, check upcoming appointments and message my provider.

Cons

Honestly, there's a lot that doesn't work well. The portal runs incredibly slow and is glitch-prone so I'm constantly having to reload pages just to get basic components to respond. It doesn't seem tied to anything specific on my side either-switching providers, changing Wi-Fi or using different devices/computers doesn't fix it. Overall, it feels like something a large medical center would build which makes sense for bigger hospital systems but it doesn't fit the feel I expect from my primary care or psychiatrist. Instead of feeling tailored to me, it comes off very impersonal, like I'm just another patient number in a massive database. Also, it relies heavily on generic pop-up messages like "please allow 48 hours for a response." I'm guessing those templates are practice-set but the effect still makes the communication feel cold-almost like the message is meant to confirm submission rather than provide real reassurance. It ends up reading like, "There are hundreds of other messages in this mailbox that hourly staff may or may not handle and you might get a reply in a few days." That tone feels belittling and it reinforces the feeling that doctors aren't actually communicating directly with patients even though these are my regular ongoing providers who are supposed to know detailed private information about me.

“Highly customizable setup”

Pros

Enjoyed how you can configure everything and personalize it to match what you need. Getting started is pretty simple and the whole setup process feels flexible. Overall, I'm really happy with the software and how it fits my workflow.

Cons

One thing I'd change is the membership pricing. It would be better if the cost depended on what each person actually needs, instead of using a single general price for everyone.

“i liked it”

Pros

Having a dedicated portal for patients is really convenient. Message submissions come through instantly and the bright color scheme definitely catches your attention.

Cons

Jumping between the different sections felt a bit confusing at first but after a short learning curve, the whole layout becomes pretty user-friendly.

“poor support”

Pros

The platform itself looks polished but that's where the positives end. The training is delivered entirely through videos that feel unclear and don't really help you figure things out. When it comes to support, customer service mostly circles back with vague responses-there aren't many concrete answers and it often feels like you're getting the runaround.

Cons

I'm going to be simple for anyone considering them because this ended up being a total miss. This isn't just a one-star situation-it feels like a zero. We switched from CureMD to Athena based on promises that they could boost income for a solo medical practitioner. About three months after the switch, our income started slipping and by the fourth or fifth month we were struggling to meet payroll. At around six months, it became obvious we could be forced to close after 26 years in practice. I went seven months without taking a salary, worked nonstop and only after pushing hard did we get advice that the only way to save the company was to return to CureMD-which we did. Six months later, we're back on our feet.A separate issue is that over $600,000 in collections still appears to be missing which is extremely concerning. Their claims processing barely worked and support also struggled to communicate in a way that made sense for our team so it wasn't helpful. The "Customer Success" manager gave the impression they were determined to push us toward failure. When I finally got our matter escalated to the VP of Sales, it actually escalated the problem further-he was aggressive toward us rather than resolving anything. By contrast, CureMD has been honest, reliable and consistently goes to bat for each and every claim. If you're looking for a partner you can actually reach and get knowledgeable help from, CureMD is the safer choice. I'd strongly recommend not getting involved with Athena. There are also serious concerns publicly reported-for example, they've been sued for millions by a hospital for fraud-and they were acquired by Bain Capital about a decade ago which makes it hard not to wonder if whatever value they once had got stripped out.

“Slow and impersonal patient portal”

Pros

I do like that there's a website where I can see all my information. I can check my lab results, see my upcoming appointments and send a message to my doctor.

Cons

There are quite a few things I don't like! Since there's only so much space, I'll keep it short. Basically, the patient portal is incredibly slow and glitchy. I always have to reload the page and it takes much longer than it should to do simple things. This happens no matter what, different doctors, different Wi-Fi, different computers or phones. It always acts this way. It also feels very impersonal like a portal a huge hospital would use. For a big hospital that's one thing but for my regular primary care doctor or my psychiatrist, it makes me feel like I'm just another number in their system. I'm sharing private details with these people but the portal makes it obvious I'm just one patient in a giant database. It also has a lot of standard pop-up messages, like "please allow 48 hours for a response." I'm sure my doctor's office sets those up but it just makes everything feel cold. Those messages are supposed to be helpful but they really feel like they're saying, "We have hundreds of other messages to get to and you'll get a reply when we get to you." It feels belittling and just reinforces the idea that doctors can't be bothered to talk directly to their patients.

“user friendly tool, price could be fairer”

Pros

I like that you can set it up just how you want it. It's pretty easy to learn how to use this software. I'm very happy with it.

Cons

I think the membership price should be based on what each person actually needs from the software, instead of everyone paying the same general price.

“convenient and visually appealing patient portal”

Pros

It is very convenient to have a website just for patients. When you send a message, it goes through right away. I also think the colors they use are nice and eye-catching.

Cons

Figuring out how to move between the different sections can be a little confusing when you first start. But once you learn your way around, it's actually very easy to use.

“makes everything hassle-free”

Pros

It's fairly simple and actually helpful for getting in touch with the doctor without dealing with the extra steps of calling the office.

Cons

This concern isn't unique to the app but occasionally the information shows up before you're able to talk with a doctor to go over it.

“athena does everything we need”

Pros

Athena pretty much has everything covered. Navigation feels simple and pulling up or organizing information is simple-charting data is also quick to get to. When something needs adjusting later on, updating records and making changes is painless. Honestly, I couldn't ask for more.

Cons

No real complaints on my end-using Athena day to day hasn't caused any trouble. It's working exactly the way I need it to, with all the features I expect.

“mobile-friendly”

Pros

Navigation is simple and I can quickly locate the information I need for each major topic. It also works well on mobile which makes it convenient when I'm on the go.

Cons

Usage is limited to specific carriers so it doesn't let me pull everything together with data from other software or health providers.

“efficient and well-organized”

Pros

athenaOne feels really efficient and keeps everything neatly organized. jumping between scheduling appointments and a patient's chart is simple so the workflow stays smooth and easy to follow.

Cons

there aren't many downsides but authorizing smaller, lesser-known insurance plans can be a bit tricky at times.

“easy patient charts”

Pros

Working with the patient charts and scheduling felt surprisingly simple. The system made it simple to find what I needed and keep things organized without a lot of back-and-forth.

Cons

Access to a few medical records and reports was restricted until the doctors finalized and signed off on them.

“Helpful but results can be alarming”

Pros

It's pretty easy to use and it's helpful because I can contact my doctor without having to call the office and go through all that effort.

Cons

My complaint isn't really about this app itself but sometimes test results or other information get posted on there before your doctor has a chance to call and talk to you about them.

“Everything I need, no complaints”

Pros

Athena has everything I need. It's easy to find what I'm looking for, easy to put information into the charts and easy to make changes when I need to. I couldn't ask for anything better.

Cons

I personally haven't had any problems using it every day. I can always find my way around and it does everything I need it to do.

“Easy, clean & almost perfect tool”

Pros

I love that it is easy to use. I really like that the screen isn't too crowded. Other systems have too many words, buttons and colors all over the place but AthenaOne looks clean and works well. With the new update, I can now see the patient's phone number and insurance right on the screen during intake. I also like that I can find electronic faxes, patient messages and documents all in one spot. I love the athenaCapture feature it makes uploading patient photos and insurance cards seamless. I almost never have problems with it and I'm really grateful for their support. It's helpful to read their articles about common issues and you can easily start a chat or create a case if you need help. I also love how much prep work I can do for patients like getting their intake ready and setting up orders and plans ahead of time.

Cons

I had a few complaints about athenaOne before but they actually fixed them in the most recent update! A couple of problems I still have are that it can be slow to load sometimes. Also, when I go back to the home page, it sometimes switches my view from the clinician layout to the non-clinician one and I have to change it back.

“A seamless app experience”

Pros

It's really easy to find my way around and get the information I need on different topics. I also like that I can use it on my phone without any trouble.

Cons

My only issue is that only some insurance companies use this system. Because of that, you can't easily combine your health information from other doctors who use different software.

“efficient & well-organized for work”

Pros

I think athenaOne is very efficient and well-organized. I find it very easy to switch between scheduling appointments and looking at a patient's chart.

Cons

I don't have many complaints about it. The main problem I run into is that it can be tough to get approval for smaller, less common insurance plans.

“Freezes when printing but great shortcuts”

Pros

My favorite thing about this software is that I can set it up just how I like it. I can choose my own shortcuts for scheduling, billing, opening a chart and even printing the next day's schedule. Because of this, I can get my billing done, check patients in and out accurately, schedule their next appointment and get ready for my work up to a week in advance.

Cons

The thing I like least about it, is that it freezes a lot. This happens all the time at my job whenever I try to print an insurance card or a form that was scanned into a patient's chart.

“Easy for charts, slow on results”

Pros

I found the system very easy to use for handling patient charts and managing the schedule.

Cons

Sometimes I couldn't see my own medical records or test results until after my doctor had officially signed off on them.

“fast patient intake”

Pros

I was surprised by how simple it was to enter patient demographics, process payments and submit claims. The flow from intake to billing feels pretty direct which helps keep things moving.

Cons

Getting help from customer service was difficult since they were hard to reach. Also, there wasn't a way to transfer medical records in bulk which made that part more time-consuming than it needed to be.