athenahealth vs Change Healthcare (Optum)
Side-by-side from the Top 11 rankings of athenahealth vs Epic Systems vs Oracle Health: 11 Best EHR Software for Medical Practices 2026 and Waystar vs R1 RCM vs athenahealth: 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software 2026. Last verified June 15, 2026.
The short answer
athenahealth ranks higher on Top 11 (#1 vs #6) for Physicians and practice managers choosing an electronic health records system / Practice administrators, CFOs, and billing leaders at hospitals, physician groups, and specialty practices. Best for network intelligence and cloud-based revenue cycle management in ambulatory settings.
At a glance
| athenahealth | Change Healthcare (Optum) | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #1 / athenahealth vs Epic Systems vs Oracle Health: 11 Best EHR Software for Medical Practices 2026 | #6 / Waystar vs R1 RCM vs athenahealth: 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software 2026 |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 9.3 | 8.2 |
| Best for | Networked, cloud-based practices | Very large clearinghouse and payer reach |
| Pricing | $$$$ ($500 to $900/mo/provider) | $$$ (custom, per-transaction) |
| HQ | Watertown, MA, USA | Nashville, USA |
| Founded | 1997 | 2007 |
athenahealth
Best for network intelligence and cloud-based revenue cycle management in ambulatory settings.
www.athenahealth.comChange Healthcare (Optum)
One of the largest US clearinghouses, with a 2024 outage on its record.
www.optum.com/en/business/insights/change-healthcare.htmlSee full entry in Waystar vs R1 RCM vs athenahealth: 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software 2026
Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.