Clinical systems · Behavioral health EHR
Sunwave
Sunwave makes software for addiction treatment and behavioral health centers that combines admissions CRM, clinical records, billing, and an AI note tool, formed by the 2025 merger of Sunwave Health and Lightning Step.
Strong fit
- Addiction treatment and behavioral health centers that want admissions, clinical records, and billing in one system
- Treatment organizations that market to prospective patients and track them from first call to admission
- Current Lightning Step or Sunwave Health customers planning their next step
Weak fit
- Outpatient therapy practices that only need a simple record and billing tool
- Buyers who want a vendor with one settled product and a long-standing leadership team
Bottom line
Sunwave is worth considering for addiction treatment centers that want admissions, clinical records, and billing in one system. It suits centers willing to wait while Sunwave combines the former Sunwave Health and Lightning Step products into one.
Score breakdown
Weights: Outcomes 35% · Product 30% · Implementation 20% · Pricing clarity 15%.
Sunwave makes software for addiction treatment and behavioral health centers. Its customer relationship tool tracks prospective patients from the first call through admission, and the same system keeps clinical records and handles billing. Its AI tool, SIA, drafts progress notes and session summaries for clinicians to review. Sunwave says customers have cut administrative time by 40% and days in accounts receivable by 20%.
Lightning Step was founded in Houston, Texas, in 2014 by former treatment center owners and operators, and Gallant Capital Partners invested in it in 2022. Sunwave Health, based in Delray Beach, Florida, sold similar software to addiction treatment centers. The two merged in October 2025 with a growth investment from BVP Forge and took the single name Sunwave in June 2026. In July 2026 Sunwave appointed Corey Hansen chief executive and formed Crest, an advisory group of leaders from nine behavioral health organizations. Customers stay on the system they use today while Sunwave builds toward one product.
Compare Kipu Health when a multi-site treatment provider wants a long-established behavioral health system, and Valant when an outpatient therapy or psychiatry practice, or an intensive outpatient program, wants a record and billing system built for that work.
Competitor landscape
| Vendor | Overall | Ease of implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Upheal | 8.1 | 8.4 |
| Blueprint | 8.0 | 8.2 |
| Osmind | 7.9 | 7.3 |
| BestNotes | 7.8 | 7.9 |
| ICANotes | 7.6 | 7.3 |
| Valant | 7.5 | 7.6 |
| Kipu Health | 7.4 | 7.1 |
| Ritten | 7.1 | 7.4 |
| Sunwave | 6.9 | 6.6 |
| Alleva | 6.8 | 6.9 |
Pricing
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | Sunwave prices each contract by custom quote. |
| What usually drives cost | Number of facilities, beds, and users, which modules are used (CRM, EMR, billing, AI documentation), and billing services. |
| What to ask before you buy | Which product you will run on, the plan for moving customers onto one system, migration costs, and price protection. |
| Published pricing | No price list is posted on Sunwave's website. |
Prerequisites for purchase
| Need | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What you need to get Sunwave to function | |
| Operations leader who owns systems | Moving to Sunwave affects admissions, clinical, and billing teams at once, so one leader needs to own it. |
| Admissions and marketing process map | The admissions CRM is configured around how your center handles inquiries. |
| Payer contracts and billing rules | Claims are built from these rules, so gaps lead to denials. |
| Clinical templates by level of care | Each level of care needs its own note templates. |
| Clarity on which product you will run | Sunwave is still combining the two merged products, so the contract should state which one you will run. |
| What will maximize your value | |
| Track inquiries to admission | Tracking each inquiry through admission shows which marketing sources bring in patients. |
| Turn on AI notes with review | SIA drafts notes for clinicians to review, which can cut documentation time. |
| Review denials by payer monthly | A monthly review by payer shows where claims are denied and why. |
| Deal-breakers | |
| You run only an outpatient therapy practice. | |
| You need one settled product now. | |
| No one on your team owns the move. | |
Value creation time frame
| # | Stage | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contract and migration plan | 1-2 months |
| 2 | Admissions and clinical go-live | 2-4 months |
| 3 | Billing and AI tools across facilities | 4-9 months |
Leadership
Methodology
| Weight | Factor | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| 35% | Customer outcomes | Whether buyers get measurable operational or clinical-workflow results after go-live |
| 30% | Product | Capability depth, reliability, and fit for the job the category buys |
| 20% | Implementation | How hard it is to stand up, integrate, train, and stabilize |
| 15% | Pricing clarity | Whether a buyer can model total cost without a mystery quote |
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Highly recommend | Strong outcomes and product with manageable caveats |
| Recommend | Solid fit for the right buyer; know the tradeoffs |
| Conditional | Only with a specific use case or heavy caveats |
| Not recommended | Avoid for most buyers in this category |
Read our full methodology for how we weight scores and assign recommend labels.