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Software · head to head

Cerner vs Athenahealth

C

Cerner

Software

Health information technology solutions for healthcare organizations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Athenahealth logo

Athenahealth

Software

Cloud-based medical practice management

From
$140/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cerner pricing is not publicly available; custom quotes required from sales; Athenahealth high implementation costs ranging up to $50,000+ for enterprise deployments
  • They diverge on capability: Cerner covers Revenue Cycle, Athenahealth covers Medical Billing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cerner and Athenahealth actually diverge.

Attributes where Cerner and Athenahealth differ
AttributeCernerAthenahealth
Starting priceOn request$140/month
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Founded19791997

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Cerner

  • Revenue Cycle
  • Population Health
  • HL7
  • FHIR
  • Lab Systems
  • On-premise deployment
  • Desktop support

Only in Athenahealth

  • Medical Billing
  • Telehealth
  • Analytics
  • Labs
  • Pharmacies
  • Clearinghouses
  • Health Information Exchanges
  • HITRUST

Both cover

  • Electronic Health Records
  • Patient Engagement
  • HIPAA
  • SOC2
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Mobile support

What people use each for

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

Cerner

  • Hospital and acute care EHR for chart review and clinical documentationnot Athenahealth
  • Mobile clinical access for physicians and care teams on point-of-care devicesnot Athenahealth

Athenahealth

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

Where each one falls short

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

Cerner

  • Pricing is not publicly available; custom quotes required from sales

Athenahealth

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Cerner

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Cerner review.

Athenahealth

$140/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Athenahealth review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Cerner if

  • You need revenue cycle.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want population health.
Cerner review

Choose Athenahealth if

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

Questions people ask

Is Cerner or Athenahealth better?
Neither clearly leads. Cerner starts at On request and Athenahealth at $140/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cerner or Athenahealth?
Cerner starts at On request and Athenahealth at $140/month.
Does Cerner or Athenahealth run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Cerner best used for?
Cerner is most often used for hospital and acute care ehr for chart review and clinical documentation, mobile clinical access for physicians and care teams on point-of-care devices. Of those, hospital and acute care ehr for chart review and clinical documentation and mobile clinical access for physicians and care teams on point-of-care devices are not what Athenahealth is typically brought in for.
What can Cerner do that Athenahealth cannot?
Cerner covers Revenue Cycle, Population Health, HL7, FHIR. Athenahealth covers Medical Billing, Telehealth, Analytics, Labs. Both handle Electronic Health Records, Patient Engagement, HIPAA, SOC2.

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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