Athena Alliance Program
Removing Barriers to Specialized Neurology Testing
Athena Diagnostics is committed to making diagnostic testing more accessible and more affordable for all patients. Athena Diagnostics recognizes the unique challenges of patients facing various diseases and conditions and is dedicated to personalizing and simplifying customer service, including a new tiered financial assistance program. On September 1, 2014, Athena launched the Athena Alliance Program that was created to expand patient access to a variety of diagnostic methodologies and testing, especially those with esoteric disorders.
The Athena Alliance Program is focused on providing patient-centric customer service. A team of dedicated personnel are available to support patients from the time of test ordering through to the test results.
The path to a cure starts with a definitive diagnosis. By expanding access to critical testing, we can walk that path together.
Customer and Patient Support
For the Patient, the Patient’s Family and the Patient’s Physician
Our Athena Alliance Patient Services Department will provide personalized services from start to finish.
- Personal Service - A team of dedicated personnel are available to support patients from the time a test is ordered through the entire billing cycle. We provide answers for our patient’s, provide guidance, and work proactively with their physician.
- Letters of Medical Necessity - We will work with physician practices on test selection options to balance costs and clinical value. Additionally we will aid their submit letters of medical necessity to the patient’s insurance company and to obtain determination of patient financial responsibility if available.
- Billing Support - We will bill a patient’s insurance and file appeals as appropriate and maintain a partnership with the physician office staff supporting the approval process.
Together these services are designed to provide the patient, the family and the physician greater transparency and support as important choices are made about testing.
Financial Assistance Support
All states, all plans, all patients and practices, all steps of the process
Athena's updated financial assistance program is based on income levels, with improved financial assistance for families up to 600% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
The Athena Alliance Program provides tailored financial solutions based on federally published income guidelines to any insured or uninsured patient who qualifies financially and has a balance that exceeds $100.
Athena’s financial assistance program can help you if you are in 1 of these 2 groups:
- Patients who have incomes that are not more than 400% of the current HHS Poverty Guidelines (income guidelines) will pay no more than $100. If the patient responsibility indicates an amount less than $100, the patient is responsible for the lesser amount.
- Patients who have incomes that are between 400% and 600% of the income guidelines will pay no more than $400.
Note: Financial assistance does not apply if your insurance provider decides that you owe less than $100. Athena’s financial assistance program will not reduce the amount you owe if it is already less than $100.
Patients who do not qualify for Athena’s financial assistance program are in any of these 4 groups:
- Patients who have incomes that are > 600% (more than 6 times) the federally established income guidelines
- Patients who owe less than $100
- Patients who do not complete, sign, and return the financial assistance application
- Patients who do not provide an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and/or payment when these are received directly from their insurance provider
*Adapted from https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines. Accessed on January 23, 2024.
Payments