Ona Health vs Athelas (2026): Which Fits Your Practice?
Ona Health vs Athelas compared for 2026: RCM, remote patient monitoring, AI scribe, all-in-one scope, and pricing - which fits your practice.
Ona Health and Athelas are both AI-driven healthcare platforms, but they solve different problems. Athelas is strongest in revenue cycle management (RCM) and remote patient monitoring (RPM), and it is now part of Commure. Ona is an AI-native, all-in-one practice management platform that runs the whole front-office-to-claim workflow, with an AI receptionist and ambient scribe built in.
Quick answer:
- Choose Athelas if your priorities are managed revenue cycle management and connected remote patient monitoring for chronic care, or you are a larger group or health system.
- Choose Ona if you want the entire front desk, chart, and billing workflow in one platform - AI receptionist, ambient scribe, and claims included - with published per-seat pricing and a 14-day free trial.
- Either way, follow one patient from first phone call to paid claim on each system before you commit, and note where a human has to re-type something.
What is Athelas?
Athelas began as a revenue cycle management (RCM) and remote patient monitoring (RPM) company. Its RPM side is a genuine differentiator: connected devices measure patient vitals such as blood pressure, weight, and blood glucose between visits, so a practice can run chronic-care monitoring and bill for it without the patient coming in. Its RCM side automates claims, denial management, and collections, positioned as a service that can run a practice's billing, not only as software.
In 2023, Athelas and Commure merged to form one of healthcare's larger AI infrastructure companies, reported at around $6 billion, operating under the Commure name. The Athelas brand continues to sell its RCM, remote patient monitoring, ambient AI scribe, and AI agents for tasks like call answering, scheduling, and billing appeals.
In 2025, Athelas launched Air, an electronic health record (EHR) that folds charting, ambient scribing, AI agents, and RCM automation into one system. Its heritage in RCM and RPM, plus the Commure relationship, means Athelas often shows up in conversations about billing performance and health-system-scale automation.
What is Ona Health?
Ona is an AI-native, all-in-one practice management platform that combines customer relationship management (CRM), an electronic health record (EHR), and revenue cycle management (RCM) - 19 tools on one platform, from intake and scheduling through billing and the full insurance cycle. Ona is built as one product, so a lead, a chart, an invoice, and a claim live in the same system rather than as records synced between separate tools.
AI carries the front-of-house and documentation load. The AI receptionist answers calls 24/7, books against the live calendar, and writes the transcript into the chart, escalating urgent or sensitive calls to a human. The ambient scribe records the visit with per-visit patient consent, or accepts uploaded audio, and drafts a structured note for the clinician to review and sign. AI features are included in the base plan at no extra cost.
The stack names its parts. E-prescribing runs on embedded DoseSpot, including Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-compliant two-factor signing; telehealth is browser-based on LiveKit; and labs and supplements run through an embedded Fullscript dispensary. Insurance and eligibility covers real-time eligibility checks, claim generation from the signed note, clearinghouse submission, and a denial queue, with Medicare and Medicaid supported, while billing takes payments on Stripe at pass-through rates. Support over in-app chat and guided onboarding come with every plan.
Head-to-head: Ona vs Athelas
| Dimension | Ona Health | Athelas |
|---|---|---|
| Focus / best fit | Solo-to-small practices that want the whole front-office-to-claim workflow in one platform | RCM- and RPM-led practices and larger groups or health systems, now under Commure |
| RCM (revenue cycle management) | Built-in: eligibility, CMS-1500 claim form, clearinghouse submission, denial queue; software you run yourself | Core strength: automated claims, denial management, and collections, offered as a managed service |
| RPM (remote patient monitoring) | Not offered - no connected monitoring devices | Yes - connected devices for vitals like blood pressure, weight, and blood glucose |
| AI scribe | Ambient scribe built in, consent-gated, drafts a note you review and sign | Ambient AI scribe, expanded through the Augmedix acquisition |
| All-in-one scope | 19 tools in one product: CRM, EHR, RCM, AI receptionist, scheduling, telehealth, portal | RCM, RPM, ambient AI, AI agents, and the newer Air EHR |
| Pricing transparency | Published per-seat calculator; example $305 / mo for 2 practitioner seats + 1 staff seat | Not published; quote-based - see Athelas for current pricing |
Where each platform is strongest
Be fair to Athelas: remote patient monitoring is a real capability Ona does not have. If your model depends on tracking patients between visits with connected cuffs and scales - chronic-care management for hypertension, heart failure, or diabetes - Athelas is built for that, and it bills the associated codes. Its RCM heritage matters too: some practices do not want billing software, they want a partner to run their revenue cycle, and through Commure, Athelas operates at a scale that suits larger groups and health systems.
Ona works the opposite end of the same day. It is built around one patient record that carries a caller from the first ring to a paid claim without leaving the platform: the AI receptionist picks up the phone and starts the chart, the visit produces an ambient-scribed note, and the signed note drives the invoice and claim. For a small team where the front desk misses calls and charts pile up after hours, that single flow - priced from a public calculator - is the point. For a wider view of the category, see Ona's guide to the best AI-native practice management platforms.
Pricing: published per-seat vs quote-based
Ona publishes pricing at ona.health/#pricing as a per-seat calculator; the example shown comes to $305 / mo for 2 practitioner seats plus 1 staff seat. E-prescribing is +$45 per prescribing practitioner, and the AI receptionist is $499 / month and includes 1,500 minutes. The 14-day free trial is full access with no credit card, and practices with 5+ practitioners get a tailored plan.
Athelas does not publish pricing. There is no price on its site, and third-party software directories list no pricing information for Athelas RCM, so budgeting means a sales conversation and a custom quote - see Athelas for current pricing. Quote-based pricing is common for RCM services and enterprise platforms and is not a red flag by itself; it just means you cannot compare the two on cost without booking a call, while Ona's number is on the page.
Which one fits your practice?
Athelas is the stronger pick when remote patient monitoring or a managed revenue cycle is the center of your model - chronic-care programs with connected devices, a partner to operate your billing, or a larger group or health system that fits the Commure footprint. Ona is the stronger pick when phones and paperwork are eating the day and you want one system you can price and trial yourself: an AI receptionist on every call, an ambient scribe on every note, and a signed note that drives the invoice and claim. Ona serves nine specialties, from primary care and behavioral health to medspas, and its guide to reducing claim denials walks through the billing workflow.
Two honest caveats: Ona does not offer remote patient monitoring, so if device-based monitoring is a must-have, Athelas keeps that edge. And because Ona states it will export and import your data from any EHR at zero cost within one business day, a side-by-side trial is cheap to run before you decide.
FAQ
Is Ona Health or Athelas better for my practice?
It depends on what you need most. Athelas is strongest at revenue cycle management (RCM) and remote patient monitoring (RPM), and it now sits inside Commure at health-system scale. Ona Health is an AI-native, all-in-one practice management platform that runs the whole front-office-to-claim workflow - AI receptionist, scheduling, ambient scribe, billing, and insurance - in one system, with published per-seat pricing and a 14-day free trial.
What is Athelas known for?
Athelas built its name on revenue cycle management (RCM) and remote patient monitoring (RPM), using connected devices to track vitals like blood pressure, weight, and blood glucose between visits. It has since added an ambient AI scribe, AI agents, and the Air electronic health record (EHR), launched in 2025.
Does Athelas publish its pricing?
No. Athelas does not list prices on its site, and third-party software directories show no published pricing, so you need a sales conversation for a quote. See Athelas for current pricing. Ona publishes per-seat pricing, with an example of $305 / mo for 2 practitioner seats and 1 staff seat.
Does Ona Health offer remote patient monitoring (RPM)?
No. Ona does not sell connected remote patient monitoring devices. If continuous device-based monitoring for chronic care is a must-have, Athelas is the stronger fit. Ona focuses on the front-office-to-claim workflow - phones, scheduling, charting, billing, and insurance - in one platform.
Is Athelas the same company as Commure?
They are closely tied. Athelas and Commure merged in 2023 to form one of healthcare's larger AI infrastructure companies, operating under the Commure name. The Athelas brand still sells its RCM, remote patient monitoring, ambient AI, AI agents, and the Air EHR.
How hard is it to switch to Ona Health?
Ona states it helps export and import your data from any EHR or practice management tool at zero cost within one business day, with full migration typically 1-3 weeks for smaller practices. The 14-day free trial gives full access with no credit card, so you can test Ona before you commit.
Next step
The fastest way to settle this comparison is to watch your own workflows run. Book a 15-min walkthrough - no obligation - at ona.health/#demo, then start the 14-day free trial - full access, no credit card - and follow one patient from first call to paid claim on Ona. If remote patient monitoring is the deciding factor, weigh Athelas on that; otherwise, the answer will show up in your schedule.
Written by
Ona Health team