R1 RCM vs athenahealth
Side-by-side from the Top 11 rankings of The 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software (2026) and The 11 Best EHR Software for Medical Practices (2026). Last verified July 12, 2026.
The short answer
athenahealth ranks higher on Top 11 (#1 vs #2) 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 network intelligence and cloud-based revenue cycle management in ambulatory settings.
At a glance
| R1 RCM | athenahealth | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #2 / The 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software (2026) | #1 / The 11 Best EHR Software for Medical Practices (2026) |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 9.1 | 9.3 |
| Best for | End-to-end outsourced RCM for systems | Networked, cloud-based practices |
| Pricing | $$$$ (percentage of net collections, custom enterprise) | $$$$ ($500 to $900/mo/provider) |
| HQ | Murray, USA | Watertown, MA, USA |
| Founded | 2003 | 1997 |
R1 RCM
Full-service revenue cycle partner built for large hospitals and health systems.
www.r1rcm.comSee full entry in The 11 Best Revenue Cycle Management Software (2026)
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)
Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.