IMA Brings 30+ Years of New York Behavioral Health and Human Services Expertise to Cantata, Advancing Their Mission to Empower Providers with Technology to Elevate Care
February 19, 2025 – LAKEWAY, TX – Cantata Health Solutions, a leading provider of healthcare technology solutions for behavioral health and human services providers, announces the acquisition of IMA Systems, LLC, a New York-based software company with 35 customers and over three decades of experience in providing software solutions for behavioral healthcare specifically in New York. This acquisition reflects the shared commitment of Cantata and IMA to help providers advance the delivery of behavioral health services in New York by aligning on values and delivering next-generation technology.
The combination of IMA’s deep New York expertise and software solutions with Cantata’s modern technology will accelerate the company’s ability to meet the unique requirements of New York behavioral healthcare providers. IMA’s software solutions were tailored for New York HHS providers and that unique functionality will be migrated to Cantata’s Arize platform. IMA customers will benefit from expanded resources and access to advanced technology, while Cantata gains a team with years of experience solving important mental health, substance use disorder and CCBHC challenges faced by behavioral healthcare providers in New York.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2023 multi-year, $1 billion investment in mental health services in New York underscores the importance of behavioral health services to the communities of New York and reinforces the State of New York’s national leadership with a transformative plan to increase inpatient psychiatric treatment capacity, boost insurance coverage and dramatically expand outpatient services. Cantata is committed to working in lockstep with the state by supporting its customers’ ability to meet the dynamic requirements of this strategic market.
“New York’s continued investment in a broad continuum of care for behavioral health services represents an exciting opportunity for Cantata and IMA to join forces,” said Alan Tillinghast, CEO of Cantata Health Solutions. “Together, we have strengthened our ability to provide modern solutions designed to simplify work and eliminate the frustrations of outdated systems used by New York’s behavioral healthcare providers.”
“We’ve been approached about acquisitions in the past, but alignment on values and approach is most important,” said Barry Samel, President of IMA Systems. “This partnership with Cantata is different—it feels right. Both organizations share a commitment to advancing New York’s behavioral health system and supporting its providers. Plus, when we saw Arize, we knew it was the right platform to take our customers into the future.”
He continued: “Our imaServe customers can rest assured that everything they rely on will continue uninterrupted under Cantata, including development and implementation projects. The existing IMA staff will remain dedicated to providing the same high level of service. The inclusion of imaServe functionality into Arize is the best way for our customers to leap forward to a new generation of EHR and billing.”
The acquisition of IMA highlights Cantata Health Solutions’ commitment to providing solutions that are tailored to meet the specific needs of behavioral health and human services providers. For more information about Cantata’s Arize EHR platform for New York, visit: https://cantatahealth.com/ima/
About Cantata Health Solutions
Cantata Health Solutions is challenging the convention of complexity and transforming care for Behavioral Health and Human Services with Arize, an innovative EHR solution designed to simplify work and eliminate the frustrations of outdated systems. Developed by experts driven by empathy with deep industry experience, Arize puts you in control—with tools that can run right out of the box or can be easily configured to adapt to providers’ work. With integrated features like built-in telehealth, full mobile functionality, and real-time team collaboration, Arize eases workloads and empowers providers to elevate care to improve lives. For more information, visit CantataHealth.com.
