Jonathan Bush has joined healthcare startup Firefly Health as executive chairman, more than one year after his abrupt departure from the electronic health records vendor he co-founded.
"I have spent my entire career developing technologies and services to help providers better manage the more mundane aspects of healthcare," Bush, co-founder and former CEO of Athenahealth, said in a statement. "Firefly Health sets all of that aside."
Firefly Health, a concierge medicine service, revealed Bush's new role Monday as part of an announcement about the startup's Series A funding round. The startup, which primarily works with employers and health plans, raised $10.2 million in the funding round.
Bush stepped down from his post as Athenahealth's CEO in June 2018 after several allegations came to light, including a sexual harassment settlement and inappropriate behavior at an industry event.
Reports of violence against his now ex-wife, described as "numerous physical altercations" in court documents from 2006, also surfaced after the Daily Mail obtained Massachusetts family court documents. Bush issued an apology for his actions, which included "repeatedly slamming his closed fist into her sternum" and causing a black eye, according to the court documents.
"I take complete responsibility for all these regrettable incidents involving my dear former wife," he said in a statement last year. "I accept responsibility for my conduct and apologize to everyone involved."
His now ex-wife, Sarah Seldon, also issued a statement in which she praised their "co-parenting relationship."
"This incident … should not define Jonathan as a person, or our relationship overall," she said.
The allegations surfaced in the midst of hedge fund Elliott Management's aggressive pursuit to acquire Athenahealth. In May 2018, the firm made an unsolicited all-cash bid for Athenahealth worth nearly $7 billion, kicking off a monthslong question over the company's future.
Elliott Management affiliate Evergreen Coast Capital and private equity firm Veritas Capital ultimately purchased Athenahealth for $5.7 billion in a deal that closed in February. At the time, the two private equity firms said they planned to combine Athenahealth with Virence Health, a value-based care business Veritas Capital acquired from GE Healthcare in 2018, and said Virence CEO Bob Segert would lead the combined company.
