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Healthcare & Medical · head to head

Athenahealth vs Bear

Athenahealth logo

Athenahealth

Healthcare & Medical

Cloud-based medical practice management

From
$140/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bear logo

Bear

Productivity

Markdown notes for Apple devices

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Athenahealth high implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments; Bear built for Apple hardware only, with no Windows, Android or web client

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Athenahealth and Bear actually diverge.

Attributes where Athenahealth and Bear differ
AttributeAthenahealthBear
Starting price$140/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryHealthcare & MedicalProductivity
Founded1997Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Athenahealth

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Medical Billing
  • Patient Engagement
  • Telehealth
  • Analytics
  • Labs
  • Pharmacies
  • Clearinghouses

Only in Bear

Nothing recorded that Athenahealth does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Athenahealth

  • Patient Carenot Bear
  • Medical Recordsnot Bear
  • Practice Managementnot Bear
  • Telehealthnot Bear

Bear

No use cases recorded yet. See the Bear review.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Athenahealth

  • High implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments
  • Pricing tiers not transparently listed, requiring custom quotes

Bear

  • Built for Apple hardware only, with no Windows, Android or web client
  • Free tier is limited to 3 themes, 1 app icon and restricted export formats; iCloud sync requires Bear Pro
  • Bear Pro is $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year after a 7 day free trial

Pricing, plan by plan

Athenahealth

$140/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Athenahealth review.

Bear

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Bear review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Athenahealth if

  • You need electronic health records.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want medical billing.
Athenahealth review

Choose Bear if

Nothing in the data separates Bear from Athenahealth on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Bear review

Questions people ask

Is Athenahealth or Bear better?
Neither clearly leads. Athenahealth starts at $140/month and Bear at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Athenahealth or Bear?
Athenahealth starts at $140/month and Bear at On request.
Does Athenahealth or Bear run on more platforms?
Athenahealth runs on Web, iOS, Android. Bear runs on Web.
What is Athenahealth best used for?
Athenahealth is most often used for patient care, medical records, practice management, telehealth. Of those, patient care and medical records are not what Bear is typically brought in for.
What can Athenahealth do that Bear cannot?
Athenahealth covers Electronic Health Records, Medical Billing, Patient Engagement, Telehealth.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Athenahealth: What platforms does Athenahealth serve?

Athenahealth's athenaOne serves small to medium-sized physician practices and hospitals with integrated clinical, financial, and operational workflows.

Source
Athenahealth: What is the pricing model for athenaOne?

Athenahealth uses customized pricing with percent-based or encounter-based models. Starting price reported at $140/month with implementation costs ranging from $5,000-$20,000 for small businesses.

Source
Athenahealth: Does Athenahealth include revenue cycle management?

Yes, athenaOne includes network-driven claims scrubbing with 95%+ first-pass rates, denial management, and A/R optimization.

Source
Athenahealth: What patient engagement features does Athenahealth offer?

Athenahealth provides athenaCommunicator for patient portals, automated appointment reminders, online scheduling, telehealth integration, digital intake, and broadcast messaging.

Source
Athenahealth: How many pre-built integrations does Athenahealth have?

Athenahealth's marketplace includes over 250 pre-integrated third-party apps, allowing practices to extend functionality without custom development.

Source
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Related pages

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