Is your cardiology practice leaving $100,000+ on the table annually? Most Athenahealth users access only 20% of available reports. They run basic reports and miss critical insights. Athenahealth has powerful reporting tools designed for cardiology. These reports identify undercoded procedures. They flag claim denials before write-offs happen. They show which payers underpay your contracts. This guide reveals the exact reports cardiology practices need. Start using these tools today and watch revenue grow.
Production by Provider Report
The Production by Provider report tracks physician productivity. It shows the work relative value units for each doctor. This report identifies coding problems costing real money.
Why This Report Matters
Cardiologists doing similar procedures should generate similar RVUs. Large gaps indicate documentation or coding problems. One physician averages 180 wRVUs monthly. Another averages 220 wRVUs doing similar work. The lower producer is probably undercoding procedures.
How to Run This Report
Go to the Reports menu and select Financial Reports. Choose “Production by Provider” from specialty reports. Set the date range to the previous full month. Select all providers for comparison. Export to Excel for easier analysis.
Taking Action on Findings
Meet with underperforming physicians to review documentation. Often, they perform procedures but don’t document all parts. Or they document well, but coders miss details. Either problem is fixable with training.
Charge Capture Report
The Charge Capture report finds services performed but never billed. This is pure revenue loss. You did the work but never got paid.
Common Missed Charges
Device interrogations are the most frequently missed charges. Patients come for routine visits. Devices get checked and programming adjusted. But no one creates a charge. These codes pay $60-$120 each. That’s a $36,000 annual loss at 50 monthly interrogations. Echo interpretations get missed after immediate procedures.
How to Use This Report
Run Charge Capture weekly minimum. Go to Reports > Financial > Charge Capture. Show scheduled appointments versus charges created. Focus on high-volume procedure days. These are most likely to have missed charges. Review completed appointments without associated charges. Not every appointment generates charges.
Key Cardiology Revenue Reports
| Report Name | Run Frequency | Revenue Impact |
| Production by Provider | Monthly | $20,000-$60,000 annually |
| Charge Capture | Weekly | $50,000-$150,000 annually |
| Denial Management | Daily | $30,000-$80,000 annually |
| Payment Variance | Monthly | $15,000-$40,000 annually |
| Device Implant Tracking | Weekly | $25,000-$75,000 annually |
| Modifier Usage | Monthly | $10,000-$30,000 annually |
Denial Management Dashboard
The Denial Management dashboard shows all denied claims. Cardiology practices face unique denial challenges. Prior authorization denials for procedures are common.
Common Denial Patterns
Nuclear stress test denials for medical necessity are extremely common. Payers claim insufficient documentation. They want a detailed justification for testing. Without proper documentation, these $1,500-$3,000 tests get denied. Echo denials occur when frequency exceeds guidelines.
Using the Dashboard
Access Denial Management from your home screen. Add it to favorites for daily visibility. The dashboard shows total dollars in denial. It breaks denials by reason code and payer. Sort denials by dollar amount. A denied catheterization deserves immediate attention. A denied $25 office visit can wait. Track denial resolution as a key metric.
Payment Variance Report
The Payment Variance report compares expected to actual payment. Insurance companies underpay contracted rates often.
How Underpayments Happen
Payers occasionally apply the wrong fee schedules. They might use the wrong geographic factor. Or they apply outdated fee schedules. These “mistakes” always favor the payer. Bundling errors represent another common type. Payers incorrectly bundle procedures that should be paid separately.
Running This Report
Go to Reports > Financial > Payment Variance. Set the date range to the previous month. The report shows every claim where the payment differed from the expected. Large variances require immediate investigation. Focus on high-dollar procedures first. A $5 variance doesn’t warrant time. Sort by variance amount to prioritize.
Device Tracking Report
Cardiology practices implant expensive devices. Failing to bill devices is catastrophic revenue loss. This report prevents that.
Why This Report Matters
Some practices bill only the implantation procedure. They forget the separate device supply code. Medicare requires both codes for complete payment. Missing the supply code loses 50-70% of reimbursement. Device serial numbers must be documented. Payers request serial number verification increasingly.
Report Configuration
Set up Device Tracking to run automatically weekly. Go to Reports > Clinical > Implantable Devices. Show all devices implanted in the previous 7 days. Include serial numbers, CPT codes, and billing status. Cross-reference with your inventory system. Every device removed from inventory should appear on bills.
Modifier Usage Report
Cardiology uses specific modifiers extensively. The 26 modifier separates professional from technical components. The 59 modifier indicates distinct procedures.
Critical Modifiers
Modifier 26 bills the professional component of tests. This applies to echo interpretations and nuclear readings. Using 26 correctly ensures payment for interpretation. Forgetting it means only the technical component payment. Modifier 59 prevents inappropriate bundling.
Running the Report
Go to Reports > Financial > Modifier Usage. Select the previous month’s date range. The report shows all codes billed with modifiers. It calculates the percentage of eligible codes receiving modifiers. Compare your rates to benchmarks. For cardiology, 40-60% of diagnostic codes should have modifiers.
Conclusion
Athenahealth reporting tools are powerful revenue engines for cardiology. Production by Provider identifies undercoding patterns. Charge Capture finds missed procedures worth $50,000-$150,000 annually. Payment Variance catches underpayments. Device Tracking prevents billing failures on expensive implants. Modifier Usage ensures proper reimbursement.
FAQs
Which report shows the most revenue opportunity?
Charge Capture typically reveals the largest immediate impact. It finds services performed but never billed.
How often should practices run revenue reports?
Run Denial Management daily. Run Charge Capture and Device Tracking weekly. Run Production by Provider and Payment Variance monthly.
Can reports identify specific undercoding physicians?
Yes, Production by Provider shows wRVU production by individual physician. Compare physicians doing similar procedures.
Do these reports cost extra?
No, all reports are included in standard Athenahealth cardiology subscriptions. Many practices simply don’t know they exist. Access them through the Reports menu.
How long does implementation take?
Initial setup takes 2-4 hours. After setup, the weekly report review takes 30-60 minutes. The time investment returns 10-20X in recovered revenue.
