Back-to-School in athenahealth: How Pediatric and Primary Care Providers Can Prepare for a Busy Season
As summer winds down and backpacks come out, pediatricians and primary care providers face one of the busiest and most critical times of year. The back-to-school season isn’t just about school physicals, it's also about managing sports-related visits, mental health screenings, and vaccine compliance.
At Ignite Healthcare Solutions, we specialize in helping practices using athenahealth stay ahead of the curve with optimized workflows and operational excellence. Here’s your comprehensive guide to back-to-school success.
🩺 1. School & Sports Physicals: Maximize Scheduling and Efficiency
Key Actions:
Create dedicated appointment types for school and sports physicals.
Enable self-scheduling or quick-book options for these visit types via the patient portal.
Upload frequently requested school forms in the patient record for easy access.
Want to learn more about school and sports physicals? Check out our blog Understanding the Key Differences Between Sport and School Physicals: Why Both Matter for Your Child’s Health.
athena Tip:
Use encounter plans to pre-bundle documentation elements like vision &hearing screenings and physical exam templates. Map common in-office tests to CPT codes under Order Type & Procedure Template mapping.
💉 2. Vaccines & Immunization Catch-Up: Stay Compliant
Key Actions:
Use CQMs and Patient List Reports to identify children due for required immunizations like Tdap, MMR, and Varicella.
Ensure updated NDC codes are reflected in your fee schedule.
Configure nurse-only encounter layouts for vaccine-only appointments.
Navigate to the Gear --> Clinicals --> Appointment Types to Layouts. Assign a nurse visit encounter layout to the proper appointment types. This will shorten documentation time by providing an intake-only type visit that also contains a billing tab.
athena Tip:
Enable communicator campaigns to nudge families to schedule missed vaccines before school starts.
🏃♂️ 3. Manage Sports Injuries Efficiently
Key Actions:
Use encounter templates for common injuries: sprains, concussions, fractures.
Enable text macros and order sets to save documentation time.
Build preferred referral lists for ortho and PT follow-ups.
🧠 4. Address Mental Health & Academic Stress
Key Actions:
Screen for ADHD, anxiety, and depression using tools like PHQ-9 and Vanderbilt.
Note: These screeners can also be added to patient self-check in on the portal.
Build referral workflows for behavioral health resources.
👩⚕️ 5. Optimize Team Workflow for High Volume
Key Actions:
Adjust scheduling templates for anticipated demand.
Run morning huddles using dashboards and patient reason-for-visit reports.
Leverage athena’s self-check-in tools to reduce bottlenecks at the front desk
Final Thoughts: Back-to-School Season Handled
This time of year is a high-impact opportunity to keep families healthy and practices thriving. With smart planning, strong workflows, and the right configuration of athenahealth tools, your organization can provide proactive, timely care without burning out your team.
At Ignite Healthcare Solutions, we’re here to help from configuring your vaccine order sets to training your front office on wellness outreach. Let us help you simplify the back-to-school rush ahead.
Let’s talk! Reach out to info@ignitehs.com to schedule a quick consult.
