athenahealth’s MDP (More Disruption Please) Accelerator is open for business and is accepting applications as we speak. The accelerator was actually launched in June 2014 with the arrival of its first portfolio company, Smart Scheduling, to “drive connectivity and innovation across the continuum of care.”

The Accelerator will accept applications to its program on a rolling basis, with an expected residency period of eight to 12 months for each portfolio company.As part of the deal, the MDP Accelerator companies will get seed funding, free office space at athenahealth’s Watertown headquarters, along with ongoing mentorship from athenahealth experts, advisors-in-residence and partners. Most notably, the accelerator provides its portfolio companies with exposure to athenahealth’s network of more than 55,000 health care providers via seamless integration with athenahealth’s athenaNet platform. Companies interested in working with MDP can now access and test athenahealth’s APIs through a developer portal.

The MDP program (not the accelerator) started in 2010 to disrupt the status quo in health care by delivering access and connectivity to innovative solutions. The MDP Network, which began by bringing like-minded health care professionals together through conferences and hackathons, now boasts over 2,500 members. The athenahealth Marketplace, introduced in 2013, integrates best-in-breed technologies into athenahealth’s cloud-based network to offer complementary services that enhance athenaNet. The Accelerator is touted as the third pillar of the MDP program.

The Accelerator will accept applications to its program on a rolling basis, with an expected residency period of eight to 12 months for each portfolio company.