athenahealth vs Change Healthcare (Optum)
Side-by-side from the Top 11 rankings of The 11 Best EHR Software for Medical Practices (2026) and The 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 / The 11 Best EHR Software for Medical Practices (2026) | #6 / The 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.comSee full entry in The 11 Best EHR Software for Medical Practices (2026)
Change 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 The 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software (2026)
Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.