athenahealth vs Epic

Founded in 1997 in San Diego and now headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, athenahealth provides a cloud-based platform that integrates electronic health records, revenue cycle management, practice operations, and patient engagement tools. Their athenaOne suite combines AI-powered features like ambient documentation, predictive analytics, and automated billing workflows to help providers reduce administrative burden and improve clinical efficiency. The platform also supports telehealth, mobile access, open API integrations, and participation in a national provider network, making it highly adaptable for practices of various sizes and specialties. Athenahealth’s percentage-based pricing model aligns with practice revenue, and their Success Community gives users input into product evolution. While users value its automation and flexibility, some report challenges with implementation, usability, and contract clarity. Still, athenahealth’s broad capabilities and ongoing innovation make it a strong contender for modern, data-driven healthcare delivery.

Epic Systems, founded in 1979 and headquartered in Verona, Wisconsin, is one of the most widely used EHR providers in the United States, with their platform serving over 325 million patients worldwide. Their Epic EHR system is designed for diverse healthcare settings, including large hospitals, small practices, mental health facilities, and specialty clinics. Key features include specialty-specific modules for over 60 areas of medicine, role-based user interfaces, AI-powered clinical documentation, telehealth capabilities, patient engagement tools through MyChart, and strong interoperability with labs, pharmacies, and imaging centers. Epic’s pricing is not publicly listed, as costs depend on factors like organization size, chosen modules, hosting model, and training needs. Setup options include full enterprise deployment, Community Connect for smaller practices, Garden Plot for mid-sized groups, and Epic Sonnet with core features.