Change Healthcare (Optum) vs NextGen Healthcare
Side-by-side from the Top 11 rankings of Waystar vs R1 RCM vs athenahealth: 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software 2026 and athenahealth vs Epic Systems vs Oracle Health: 11 Best EHR Software for Medical Practices 2026. Last verified July 12, 2026.
The short answer
NextGen Healthcare ranks higher on Top 11 (#5 vs #6) for Practice administrators, CFOs, and billing leaders at hospitals, physician groups, and specialty practices / Physicians and practice managers choosing an electronic health records system. Best for specialty practices that require highly customizable clinical templates.
At a glance
| Change Healthcare (Optum) | NextGen Healthcare | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #6 / Waystar vs R1 RCM vs athenahealth: 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software 2026 | #5 / athenahealth vs Epic Systems vs Oracle Health: 11 Best EHR Software for Medical Practices 2026 |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 8.2 | 8.4 |
| Best for | Very large clearinghouse and payer reach | Specialty practices needing customization |
| Pricing | $$$ (custom, per-transaction) | $$$ ($379 to $649/mo/provider) |
| HQ | Nashville, USA | Atlanta, GA, USA |
| Founded | 2007 | 1974 |
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 Waystar vs R1 RCM vs athenahealth: 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software 2026
NextGen Healthcare
Best for specialty practices that require highly customizable clinical templates.
www.nextgen.comMethodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.