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Software · head to head

Athenahealth vs Dovetail Dental

Athenahealth logo

Athenahealth

Software

Cloud-based medical practice management

From
$140/month
Rated
-
D

Dovetail Dental

Software

AI-powered dental analytics and insights

From
$299/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Athenahealth high implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments; Dovetail Dental slow customer service with issues unresolved for weeks
  • They diverge on capability: Athenahealth covers Electronic Health Records, Dovetail Dental covers AI treatment recommendations.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Athenahealth and Dovetail Dental actually diverge.

Attributes where Athenahealth and Dovetail Dental differ
AttributeAthenahealthDovetail Dental
Starting price$140/month$299/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Founded19972018

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

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 Dovetail Dental

  • AI treatment recommendations
  • Patient behavior prediction
  • Revenue analytics
  • Practice benchmarking
  • Performance dashboards
  • Dentrix
  • Eaglesoft
  • Open Dental

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Athenahealth

  • Patient Carenot Dovetail Dental
  • Medical Recordsnot Dovetail Dental
  • Practice Managementnot Dovetail Dental
  • Telehealthnot Dovetail Dental

Dovetail Dental

  • Practice optimizationnot Athenahealth
  • Revenue growthnot Athenahealth
  • Patient retentionnot Athenahealth

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

Dovetail Dental

  • Slow customer service with issues unresolved for weeks
  • Performance issues during peak usage times
  • Limited integrations with other dental software
  • Pricing information not publicly disclosed, requires custom quotes

Pricing, plan by plan

Athenahealth

$140/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Athenahealth review.

Dovetail Dental

$299/month
  • Growth$299/month
    • Treatment analytics
    • Patient insights
    • Revenue tracking
  • Enterprise$599/month
    • Advanced AI
    • Predictive analytics
    • Multi-location

Which should you pick?

Choose Athenahealth if

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

Choose Dovetail Dental if

  • You need ai treatment recommendations.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want patient behavior prediction.

Questions people ask

Is Athenahealth or Dovetail Dental better?
Neither clearly leads. Athenahealth starts at $140/month and Dovetail Dental at $299/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Athenahealth or Dovetail Dental?
Athenahealth starts at $140/month and Dovetail Dental at $299/month.
Does Athenahealth or Dovetail Dental run on more platforms?
Athenahealth runs on Web, iOS, Android. Dovetail Dental runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
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 Dovetail Dental is typically brought in for.
What can Athenahealth do that Dovetail Dental cannot?
Athenahealth covers Electronic Health Records, Medical Billing, Patient Engagement, Telehealth. Dovetail Dental covers AI treatment recommendations, Patient behavior prediction, Revenue analytics, Practice benchmarking. Both handle SOC2, Cloud deployment, Web support.

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
Dovetail Dental: Is Dovetail Dental cloud-based?

Yes, Dovetail is a cloud-based electronic dental record and practice management solution. Users can access it from any computer, tablet, or phone with an internet connection. No servers or cables need to be installed.

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
Dovetail Dental: What platforms and devices does Dovetail support?

Dovetail is accessible via web browsers on Windows and macOS computers, as well as on mobile tablets and phones. It is designed as a browser-based application with no installation required.

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
Dovetail Dental: Is Dovetail HIPAA compliant and certified?

Yes, Dovetail is ONC-certified and HIPAA-compliant. Version 1.4 received 2014 Meaningful Use certification from the ONC Authorized Certification Body.

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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