What You Should Know:
– athenahealth, a leading provider of network-enabled software and services for healthcare practices and systems nationwide, today announced a partnership with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT).
– Microsoft Dragon Copilot is joining athenahealth’s Ambient Notes, a fully-integrated AI-driven ambient solution that simplifies documentation for ambulatory clinicians.
A new chapter in ambient clinical documentation
Since its founding in 1997, athenahealth has focused on reducing complexity for ambulatory practices and the patients they serve, building an ecosystem that connects providers, payers, partners, and health systems to enable accessible, sustainable, and high-quality care. Its solutions span clinical workflows, financial performance, and patient engagement — all designed to help practices deliver stronger care and business outcomes.
Beginning in the first half of 2026, Microsoft Dragon Copilot will be embedded directly into athenaOne as the platform’s newest ambient documentation option. athenaOne remains the only EHR that lets individual physicians within the same practice choose the ambient model that aligns with their personal workflow — all under a single contract. This integration reinforces athenahealth’s long-standing commitment to an open, flexible environment that gives clinicians genuine choice in the tools they rely on.
Paul Brient, chief product and operations officer at athenahealth, noted that ambient technologies are reshaping care delivery by reducing documentation burden and returning time to patient interaction. He emphasized that partnering with Microsoft Dragon Copilot advances athenahealth’s goal of offering clinicians models that fit the way they practice.
Dragon Copilot will be woven into athenahealth’s Ambient Notes solution, allowing clinicians across the athenaOne network to activate ambient listening during encounters and receive secure, AI-generated draft clinical notes within seconds, ready for review and editing. Ambient Notes is already available to more than 170,000 clinicians across nearly 50 specialties, and this added option further expands the platform’s reach and adaptability.
