The December 2004 issue of Healthcare IT News -- a publication affiliated with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society -- includes a feature article highlighting the successful implementation of ATHENA, a computer-based decision support system developed by researchers at CHP/PCOR and the VA Palo Alto to improve care for hypertension patients. According to a study published in the September/October issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, physicians who took part in a randomized controlled test of ATHENA used the system with relatively high frequency and found it helpful.

ATHENA's successful implementation is also discussed in a feature article in the January 2005 issue of HealthLeaders magazine that explores common pitfalls healthcare systems should avoid in implementing new healthcare technologies aimed at physicians. (HealthLeaders is a trade publication covering business strategies in the healthcare services sector.) ATHENA lead investigator and CHP/PCOR core faculty member Mary Goldstein comments that a relatively high percentage of the target physicians were willing to use ATHENA, largely because the system was designed around their recommendations.