athenahealth vs Valant

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.

Valant is a privately held healthcare software company based in Seattle, Washington, founded in 2005 by psychiatrist Dr. David Lischner. They focus exclusively on behavioral health, offering an integrated electronic health record (EHR) and practice management system for therapists, psychiatrists, and mental health clinics of all sizes. Their platform combines clinical tools, billing workflows, scheduling, telehealth, outcome tracking, and patient engagement features in one system. What sets Valant apart is their emphasis on streamlining mental health-specific workflows. Features like prepopulated notes, integrated outcome measures, and group therapy tools are tailored to support efficient care delivery and administrative management. Their platform includes API support, digital billing assistance, and a patient-facing mobile app. Valant receives mixed reviews from users. Many praise their behavioral health specialization and ease of use, while others point to limitations in customization and support responsiveness. They are not currently accredited by the Better Business Bureau and have varying scores across review platforms. This review explores Valant’s full range of features, pricing approach, support options, and how they compare to other providers. If you're considering software built around behavioral health needs, this breakdown will help you decide if Valant aligns with your practice goals.