3 Mistakes to Avoid on the athenahealth Marketplace

During my time on the athena Marketplace team, I observed that some partners developed thriving businesses, while others struggled. Despite the unique nature of each company and their service offerings, clear patterns emerged, differentiating the most successful partners. My work with these partners allowed me to identify the key factors that separated those who thrived from those who merely subsisted.

Here are the top 3 mistakes I’ve seen companies make on the athenahealth Marketplace, and how to avoid them:

Mistake 1: Insufficient Partnership with athenahealth
Impact: Limited visibility and credibility with athenahealth practices.
Solution: Build strong relationships with athenahealth’s Partner Success Managers (PSMs) and Customer Success Managers (CSMs). Also stay up to date on the athena product roadmap. When your solution aligns with their priorities and resonates with end users, customers will want to share their success stories.

Mistake 2: Misalignment with Practice Workflows
Impact: Poor adoption and user frustration.
Solution: Invest time in understanding how front-office, clinical, and billing teams actually use athenaOne in concert with your product. Conduct workflow assessments during product development to ensure your solution integrates seamlessly with real-world practice operations. Not every practice runs the same, even if they use the same software.

Mistake 3: Inadequate Training and Support
Impact: Frustration during onboarding or churn due to staff turnover.
Solution: Offer training and ongoing support, tailored to specific roles like front-office staff, providers, clinical users, and administrators. Listen when your customers tell you about their points of friction. This approach helps ensure consistent value, even as teams evolve.

Avoiding these mistakes can significantly improve adoption and satisfaction, paving the way for long-term success.

If these challenges resonate with you, let’s connect. I’ve worked with dozens of partners to turn these obstacles into opportunities—there’s no need to navigate them alone.