Athenahealth Looking for Tax Break for Creating 2,000 Jobs in Watertown

Athenahealth could add nearly 2,000 jobs in Watertown, and in return, the company hopes to get tax breaks of almost $10 million.

On Wednesday, the state's Economic Assistance Coordinating Council is expected to consider the proposal from the company working to computerize health care records as part of President Obama's Affordable Care Act, according to a report in the Boston Globe.

Currently Athenahealth has about 1,100 employees in Watertown, but they plan to grow to about 1,900 by 2022, according to the report. In exchange for this growth, the company seeks a $9.5 million tax incentive. 

The new jobs would include software developers, marketing professionals, claims processors and account managers, according to the Globe.

If approved, it would be the fourth largest number of jobs created by the state's tax incentive program, the Globe reported.

Athenahealth's headquarters are in the Arsenal on the Charles, and the company bought the complex from Harvard University in May.  

To read the entire Boston Globe report, click here.