athenahealth Named One of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies for the Second Straight Year.

WATERTOWN, Mass. -- athenahealth, Inc., the premier provider of web-based services, knowledge, and software for medical practices, has been selected by Inc. Magazine as one of the nation's fastest growing private companies for the second straight year. As part of the 25th anniversary of the Inc. 500 award, the magazine ranked privately held companies according to year-over-year sales growth from 2002 to 2005. The Inc. 500 issue can be found on newsstands on August 29th.

"athenahealth continues to experience tremendous growth within the healthcare space and we are thrilled to be recognized as one of America's fastest growing companies for the second consecutive year," said Jonathan Bush, chairman and chief executive officer of athenahealth. "Our continued growth is a testament to the thousands of customers who have selected athenahealth for our vision and industry-unique offering. athenahealth is reforming the complex business of healthcare with an entirely different approach than any of our competitors which is allowing physicians to run more effective practices and deliver better patient care."

athenahealth's recurring revenue run rate in 2005 was in excess of $63 million and the company managed nearly $2 billion in client revenues. athenahealth has become a nationally recognized force for change in healthcare and is one of the largest providers of revenue-cycle services for office-based physicians. The company experienced a 347 percent revenue increase from 2002 to 2005 and was ranked 421st overall on this year's Inc. 500. To qualify for the 2006 Inc. 500 list, companies had to be U.S.-based, privately held as of December 31, 2005, and have at least $600,000 in net sales in the base year.

The 2006 Inc. 500, as revealed in the September issue of Inc., reported the most robust bunch of companies the magazine has ever compiled, with aggregate revenue of $19.7 billion, up from $16.5 billion last year and $12.9 billion in 2000. In all, 14 companies topped the $200 million in annual revenue, compared with 11 last year. Most important, the 2006 Inc. 500 companies were engines of job growth, having created more than 90,000 jobs since those companies were founded.

"If you want to find out which companies are going to change the world, look at the Inc. 500," said Inc. Editor Jane Berentson. "These are the most innovative, dynamic, fast-growth companies in the nation, the ones coming up with solutions to some of our most intractable ills, creating systems that let us conduct business faster and easier, and manufacturing products we soon discover we can't live without. The Inc. 500 list is Inc. magazine's tribute to American business ingenuity and ambition."

With the majority of new jobs in the U.S coming from smaller, private companies, the Inc. 500 opens a window to the companies and industries that are driving the economy forward. Over the years, the Inc. 500 has identified the next generation of world-class companies.

About athenahealth, Inc.

athenahealth provides the only physician revenue and clinical cycle management offering that integrates web-based practice management and EMR software, continually updated payer knowledge, and back office processing into a single service. The results are faster payment at lower cost, improved patient care, higher revenue retention and less hassle for the more than 8,000 providers using athenahealth nationwide. The company collects nearly $2 billion on behalf of its clients annually. athenahealth is dedicated to helping providers make optimum use of their time, ultimately improving the quality of service delivered and the financial reward for it. For more information about athenahealth, visit our Web site at www.athenahealth.com or call 1-888-652-8200.

About Inc.

Inc., http://www.inc.com, the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, delivers real solutions for today's innovative company builders. It provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Inc., a Mansueto Ventures LLC publication, inspires and informs, with cutting-edge coverage that reflects our readers' energy, brashness, and imagination.