Recognition highlights athenahealth’s AI-first culture of innovation and human-centered design to create more accessible healthcare experiences
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–athenahealth today announced that it ranked No. 57 on Fast Company’s eighth annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list. The company was also named a winner in the Biotech, Healthcare, and Life Sciences category.
This is the second time athenahealth has earned a place on the list, recognizing a culture that empowers employees to experiment with emerging technologies, including AI, and turn bold ideas into meaningful solutions for healthcare organizations, physicians, clinicians, and patients.
“Innovation at athenahealth starts with our people,” said Brittany Podolak, chief people officer at athenahealth. “We’re fostering a culture where employees can explore AI thoughtfully and with purpose, focused on solving meaningful healthcare challenges for our customers and the patients they serve. This recognition reflects the impact our teams make every day.”
The culture of experimentation is driving new AI-powered approaches to healthcare design. athenahealth earned recognition for its Designing for Diversity initiative, where teams are combining AI with human-centered design to make accessibility and inclusion a more consistent part of how patient experiences are imagined and built.
The initiative draws on research with patients from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. That research informed more than a dozen detailed patient personas representing barriers people may encounter when accessing care, including disability, language, income, transportation, caregiving responsibilities, and trauma.
Teams can use the research-backed personas and supporting guidance to ground their own AI agents and identify potential barriers throughout the design process. Building on several years of investment in patient persona research and AI, the cross-functional initiative helps teams turn patient insights into more accessible, human-centered design.
athenahealth encourages innovation across its workforce through its internal programs such as Codefest and Hackathon, which give employees opportunities to experiment with AI and apply new ideas to common healthcare challenges. The Innovation Award winner at athenahealth’s 2026 Hackathon leveraged internal patient personas to explore AI-powered sign language interpretation in athenaTelehealth, the telehealth solution within athenaOne®. Designed with an accessibility-first approach, it aims to reduce communication barriers during virtual visits for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing or who have speech conditions.
View Fast Company’s full list of 2026 Best Workplaces for Innovators honorees.
About athenahealth
Since 1997, athenahealth has been curing complexity for ambulatory healthcare practices and the patients they serve, empowering them to deliver the best possible care and business outcomes through innovative clinical, financial, and patient engagement solutions. athenahealth connects practices, health systems, payers, partners, and patients to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all. Learn more at www.athenahealth.com.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow business publication Inc. For more information, please visit fastcompany.com.
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Brianna Murphy
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