Athelas Webinar | AI in Action: Strategies for Modern Healthcare - Episode 1: Orthopedics Edition

Athelas Webinar | AI in Action: Strategies for Modern Healthcare

Hosts: Melissa Earlinson (Athelas), Nina (Athelas), Ramnik (Athelas)

Guest: Ross Rigden (CEO, Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic)

Melissa Earlinson: Hi everyone, I’m Melissa Earlinson. I’m a PT by trade and part of the team here at Athelas. We are incredibly glad you decided to carve out 25 minutes to join us today. I’m joined by two of my colleagues who are instrumental in how we partner with practices. Nina, can you start us off?

Nina: Thanks so much. Hi everyone, my name is Nina. I’m also a physical therapist by trade. For the past while, I’ve been working at Athelas helping healthcare practices streamline workflows using our automated solutions.

Ramnik: Hi everybody, my name is Ramnik. I’m a physical therapist and I am on the clinical RCM team here at Athelas. We appreciate your time.

Melissa Earlinson: If you are a CEO, COO, or running an RCM department in the ortho space, your inbox is probably flooded with "AI this" and "automation that." It can feel like a massive bubble of hype. Our goal for the next 20 minutes is to pierce that bubble and talk about what it actually looks like in a living, breathing practice.

We are thrilled to have Ross Rigden, CEO of Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic, with us today. Ross, for those unfamiliar with Raleigh Orthopaedics, can you tell us about the scale of your practice?

Ross Rigden: Thanks for having me. I’m the CEO at Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic in North Carolina. We are a privately owned orthopedic group with 27 physicians and 28 APPs across six clinical locations, 11 physical therapy sites, and two ambulatory surgery centers. We have roughly 540 total employees—not a small group, but a nice middle-of-the-road size.

Melissa Earlinson: What tools are you currently using from Athelas, and how has it changed your operations?

Ross Rigden: Our partnership started with the Ambient Scribe to relieve pressure from physicians during documentation so they can focus on the patient. From there, we were evaluating a new EHR for our PT department because our legacy system was being sunsetted.

After vetting several vendors, we decided to move to the full Athelas suite. In our PT department, we are now a "one platform system." That includes:

• Intake
• EHR
• Ambient Scribe
• RCM (Revenue Cycle Management)

Melissa Earlinson: What helped drive adoption among skeptical or less tech-savvy providers?

Ross Rigden: Seeing it in action. On the PT side, they didn't really have a choice because the old system was going away, but once they saw the technology take the pressure off their daily tasks, they embraced it. The Athelas team was also very hands-on during the integration, which created a sense of security. It was a very smooth transition, contrary to what one might think when moving to a new EHR.

Melissa Earlinson: How did AI change the day-to-day experience for your billing and revenue team?

Ross Rigden: Before even hitting RCM, it starts with the therapists. Many therapists stay in the profession longer if they don't have to deal with the "pain in the butt" of documentation. Now, our therapists are going home the same day with all notes finished. Previously, it might take 7–8 days to submit a note.

That timeliness translates directly to RCM. We can get charges out the door faster and cleaner because of the automated rules and prompts in the system. We stop "dirty" claims from going out, which ensures we get paid in a more timely fashion.

Melissa Earlinson: Was there any fear among staff about AI replacing their jobs?

Ross Rigden: It’s always a mixed bag. I tell my staff: "What if we use AI to help you do your job better?" I have no desire to replace them; I need them to be great at patient care. If attrition happens and we don't need to replace a position because of AI efficiency, that's a good thing because I can focus on rewarding and paying our high-quality individuals what they are worth.

Melissa Earlinson: How did you separate the hype from reality when vetting these platforms?

Ross Rigden: We were very particular. We didn't want a "perfect" demo environment; we wanted to see real, live claims. We even listened to AI agents calling on claims in real-time.

My advice to other CEOs, ask the company what kind of models they are using. If they claim it’s a "proprietary secret sauce" built entirely in-house, they probably aren't being forthright. Most great tech is built on top of established open-source systems. Their honesty about their tech stack is a litmus test for the rest of the partnership.

Ross Rigden: If you aren't utilizing AI, you’re going to get left behind. Insurance companies have been using AI for a long time—we have to fight AI with AI. We need to stay competitive and focus on human interaction by automating the tasks that don't require it.

Melissa Earlinson: Well said. Thank you, Ross, for your transparency. For those watching, we will be reaching out via email to schedule consultations for your specific practice needs. Thank you all for your time!

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