Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions we hear most from behavioral health, human services, and acute care organizations evaluating Arize and the Cantata Health platform. Have a question that isn’t covered here? Schedule a demo and we’ll walk you through it.
About Cantata and Arize
Cantata Health Solutions is a behavioral health technology company built on decades of experience serving enterprise-scale healthcare and human services organizations. Cantata’s solutions have been implemented in more than 150 organizations nationwide, and our leadership team brings more than 250 years of combined experience leading provider organizations and healthcare technology companies.
Cantata’s Arize EHR platform, released in mid-2021, is used by more than 50 behavioral health organizations and supports a broad range of programs, from mental health and substance use disorder to child and youth services. Built by industry experts who understand the day-to-day pressures providers face, Arize brings clinical, financial, operational, and engagement workflows together in one configurable platform. Its modern, flexible foundation helps organizations simplify work, improve visibility, and adapt as their programs, requirements, and care delivery models evolve.
Unlike legacy EHRs built on decades-old technology and then modernized with layers of customizations and add-ons, Arize is modern from the start. Designed around the real workflows of behavioral health and human services organizations, its open architecture and configurable tools give providers greater control while reducing workarounds and vendor dependence.
Arize is also built to evolve, making it easier for organizations to launch new programs, support changing care and reimbursement models, integrate emerging technologies like AI, and adapt to new requirements. That difference is apparent to users, too, who describe Arize as intuitive and user-friendly rather than requiring the extensive training often associated with legacy systems.
Our vision is a world where person-centered care eliminates health disparities. Our mission is to revolutionize solutions that support the delivery of person-centered care through innovation, compassion, and collaboration. Those principles guide everything from how we build Arize to how we support the providers who use it.
Organizations and Programs We Serve
Since 1975, Cantata has supported acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and ambulatory clinics. Our clinical products have served the needs of the behavioral health community since 1995, including several multi-site, state-operated psychiatric and long-term care facilities. Today we serve organizations across the full continuum of behavioral health and human services, including:
- Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs)
- Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs)
- Outpatient, inpatient, and residential mental health providers
- Multi-site substance use disorder (SUD) and Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs)
- Child & youth services organizations, including foster care
- Integrated behavioral health providers
Yes. While Arize is our flagship behavioral health EHR, Optimum, our Revenue Cycle Management and General Financials solution, is built for acute, post-acute, rehabilitations, and psychiatric care. Optimum helps these facilities increase revenue and cash flow, reduce AR days, improve operations, and enhance the revenue cycle process.
Mental health providers use Arize to complete assessments and clinical documentation, deliver telehealth services, and access critical client information like therapy notes, diagnoses, lab results, and medical history, all while enhancing collaboration through secure, real-time information exchange with other care teams and external providers.
Arize helps SUD programs complete assessments and clinical documentation, deliver telehealth services, and access treatment plans and medical history from a centralized platform. Integrated medication management and methadone dispensing capabilities help providers maintain efficient workflows while meeting rigorous regulatory requirements, and shared care plans across providers support comprehensive, coordinated treatment.
Arize gives child & youth services organizations a single, configurable platform to manage the people, programs, processes, and information that support children and families. Organizations can connect child and family records, foster parents and homes, placements, case management, compliance, reimbursements, financial operations, and care coordination while securely exchanging information with providers, payers, and partners. Since Arize connects child & youth services with behavioral health, organizations can also manage clinical care alongside foster care, adoption, family preservation, and related programs in one system.
Yes. We support CCBHCs with tools built for integrated, person-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented care. Arize also supports the documentation, billing, outcome tracking, and reporting workflows CCBHCs need to manage complex program requirements while maintaining a focus on high-quality care.
Yes. Arize helps CCBHCs collect, manage, and access the data needed to support quality measurement, outcome tracking, and regulatory reporting. Reporting tools help organizations monitor patient progress, client satisfaction, and quality improvement initiatives while preparing the information needed to meet applicable CCBHC reporting requirements.
Arize is built to simplify data capture, documentation, and reporting so staff can spend more time on client care. Standardized workflows help teams maintain consistent, accessible records and find the information they need to demonstrate adherence to CCBHC program requirements. This supports ongoing audit and certification readiness while reducing the administrative burden on clinical teams.
Yes. Arize can be configured to support primary care alongside behavioral health and human services in a single client record. It includes capabilities such as primary care documentation, ePrescribing, and lab integration. Because Arize is highly configurable, workflows and forms can be tailored to an organization’s specific primary care processes and provider needs.
Arize Platform and Core Features
Yes. Arize includes native telehealth built directly into the platform, with no third-party fees. Because it’s part of the same system as your clinical documentation, care teams can move between an in-person note, a virtual visit, and a chart update without switching tools.
Arize is designed to be fully mobile and device-agnostic. Clinicians and staff can access all of Arize anytime, anywhere, on any device, making real-time updates possible whether they’re on site, in the field, or working remotely.
Yes. Arize is highly customizable with configurable real-time dashboard views. Each user can select the information they want to see immediately upon login. Arize also makes it easy to modify forms and reports. This configurability means providers can build custom screens, assessments, and workflows without calling us in to manage every change.
Arize combines core EHR capabilities with modern conveniences that make everyday work easier and more intuitive. Its Google-like global search can find information across the system, including within narrative fields and clinical notes, helping users locate what they need quickly. Arize also takes advantage of browser and operating-system tools such as voice-to-text, allowing staff to dictate documentation from supported devices. Browser-based language translation can render the system and forms in a client’s preferred language based on their device settings, creating a more comfortable experience when reviewing or completing documents.
Ask Arize is an AI-powered assistant embedded directly in the platform, so clinicians, administrators, and billing staff get AI-powered insights without switching tabs, exporting data, or using a separate tool. Ask Arize provides individual client insights, intelligent in-app guidance, and billing and revenue analytics.
Arize takes an integrated approach when it comes to client and external provider portals. Rather than configuring and maintaining a separate “bolt-on” application, clients and community-based providers are simply different types of Arize users. (We refer to this as “Consumer Access.”) They can use the full, mobile, configurable power of the core application, rather than just a small static subset of features.
Clients can view, complete, and sign documentation like consent forms and assessments, securely communicate and share information with their care team, and more.
Yes. Authorized persons such as parents, guardians, or legal and court system representatives can have direct, secure, and limited access to necessary documents and information, which supports care coordination for clients such as those in foster care or child and family services.
Clinical and Operational Workflows
Yes. Arize connects assessments, treatment plans and progress notes so documentation reflects a clear, consistent story of each client’s care. Information captured during intake and assessment can flow into identified needs, treatment goals, services and billing, reducing duplicate entry and gaps. Role-based views also help staff identify documentation that is missing, expiring or out of alignment.
Yes. Arize is a configurable platform that can support the distinct workflows, forms, documentation and reporting requirements of different programs and services. Organizations can bring multiple programs together in one platform while preserving the processes each program needs.
Arize helps organizations streamline intake with configurable forms, assessments and workflows that capture information directly in the client record. Clients and authorized stakeholders can also complete and sign forms electronically, reducing duplicate entry and helping care teams access current information from the beginning of the client journey.
Arize supports individualized treatment plans, progress notes and other clinical documentation within a connected client record. Treatment plans can be updated as needs and goals evolve, while configurable workflows help organizations align documentation with their clinical practices, payer requirements and regulatory obligations.
Yes. Arize supports connected medication workflows with capabilities that include computerized provider order entry, pharmacy and dispensing management, and electronic medication administration records. These tools help organizations improve efficiency, maintain accurate medication records and support client safety.
Yes. Arize Methadone Dispensing integrates clinical, billing and dispensing workflows for organizations treating individuals with opioid use disorder. It supports in-clinic and take-home dispensing, dispensing schedules, toxicology screens, medication holds, inventory and dose reconciliation, consent management, and audit-ready reporting.
Yes. Our pharmacy management functionality closes the loop between pharmacists and other disciplines, combining order and inventory management with a strong focus on medication safety. Because integration requirements vary by organization and pharmacy partner, Cantata works with each organization to evaluate its systems and determine the appropriate connection.
Arize gives case managers and multidisciplinary teams a centralized place to manage client records, case notes and individualized care plans. From any device, staff can coordinate person-centered care in the office, at home or in the field; track assignments and progress through completion; securely exchange information with partner organizations, referral sources and other providers; and report on client data and case plans.
Yes. Organizations can configure notifications and warnings for deadlines, incomplete or expiring documentation, and other required steps in workflows such as intake and discharge. Custom dashboards also help staff and supervisors quickly identify items that need attention.
Billing, Revenue Cycle, and Managed Care
Optimum RCM is Cantata’s revenue cycle solution for acute care organizations. Arize includes integrated billing capabilities designed for behavioral health and human services providers, connecting payer information, services, clinical documentation, claims and reporting within the broader Arize platform.
Because billing is integrated with the Arize EHR, the system can use client, payer, service and clinical documentation data throughout the billing process. Configurable validations can check for required information—such as a diagnosis or treatment plan—before a claim is generated. This helps keep clinical and financial workflows aligned while reducing duplicate entry and follow-up work.
Arize supports client payer setup, real-time eligibility checks, payer and service configuration, rate management, split billing, claims generation and complex payer sequencing. It also supports specialized workflows such as CCBHC bundled billing and conditional billing logic. Billing data can be exported for analysis, sent to clearinghouses using 837 and 835 files, and formatted for import into general ledger systems.
Arize includes an error manager with configurable billing validations. Organizations can determine which issues should generate a warning and which should create a hard stop, preventing a claim from being produced until required information is corrected. Validations can check elements such as diagnoses, treatment plans and other documentation or billing requirements.
Yes. Organizations can establish each client’s payer order, configure sliding-fee scales and assign coverage at the service level. When a primary payer does not cover a service, Arize can move it to the next applicable payer in the client’s sequence. The system also supports splitting a service between multiple payers and managing CCBHC scenarios involving bundled services, conditional billing, and commercial and secondary coverage.
Cantata’s Managed Care solution is designed for managed care organizations that coordinate services and funding across provider networks. It helps MCOs manage enrollment and eligibility, provider information, claims processing and adjudication, funding allocation, and reporting within one system.
The Managed Care solution allows organizations to create and update enrollments, verify eligibility and track enrollment status. Providers can submit claims manually or electronically, while MCOs can process and adjudicate Medicaid and non-Medicaid claims using established benefit rules and code sets. The system also supports claim reversals and rebilling when corrections are needed.
Yes. Cantata can configure the system around an organization’s contracted services, eligibility requirements, benefit rules and funding priorities. It can also support sliding-fee copayments, allocation of funding sources, and reporting on claims, service utilization and contract usage.
Integrations and Interoperability
Yes. Arize was designed to easily integrate with other systems through an extensive library of APIs, including external agencies, HIEs, clearinghouses, labs, pharmacies, and other systems. We know of no other EHR with this comprehensive, flexible, easy to use integration capability.
Yes. Arize is designed to meet modern interoperability challenges, supporting multiple connectivity options and secure bi-directional data transfers with hospitals, pharmacies, primary care providers, and other systems, consistent with standards like HL7, CDA, CCD, and FHIR.
Cantata works with healthcare technology organizations whose solutions complement and extend the capabilities of Arize. Our partner ecosystem includes everything from ePrescribing and lab orders, to eligibility and payments, to ambient documentation and ASAM Criteria. These partnerships help organizations connect the specialized tools they need within a more coordinated technology environment.
Yes. Cantata’s AI strategy is built on Arize’s API-based open architecture, which means customers can connect with any AI tool, including ones they’ve already invested in, while also gaining access to Cantata’s curated set of vetted platform partners evaluated for security, compliance, and healthcare fit.
Security and Compliance
Yes. Arize is certified under the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) Health IT Certification Program. Certification details, cost documentation, EHI export documentation, and our Real World Testing plans and results are published on our Certifications and Costs page.
Arize includes configurable privacy and consent-management capabilities that can help organizations support their obligations under HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2. Customers remain responsible for configuring and using the platform in accordance with their legal, regulatory, and organizational requirements.
Data is protected through a combination of encryption, access controls, authentication safeguards, monitoring, security policies, and operational processes that work together to reduce risk and strengthen security.
Arize supports modern authentication methods, including single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA), helping organizations strengthen account security and simplify access management.
Yes, our systems undergo annual third-party audits and independent security assessments to maintain SOC 2 Type 2+ certification. We also align with ISO 27001/27002, HIPAA, SAMHSA 42 CFR Part 2, and NIST 800-53 standards to ensure best practices across our operations.
Implementation, Training and Support
Every implementation timeline is tailored to the organization and the agreed-upon scope. Timing can depend on various factors, such as organizational complexity, data migration, integrations, testing and training needs, and the availability of customer resources. After discovery, Cantata works with your team to establish a project plan with key milestones, responsibilities and a target go-live date.
Cantata develops a training plan with your team after discovery. The plan considers your programs, locations, staff roles, technology experience and rollout approach. Role-based training is then coordinated with the system’s configuration so key users can build their knowledge throughout implementation and feel prepared for go-live.
Cantata provides role-based training to designated super users, who then train their organization’s end users before and after go-live. Cantata also helps the project team develop an end-user training plan and materials that reflect the organization’s workflows.
Standard implementation training is delivered remotely. On-site training can also be incorporated into the project plan for an additional fee. Training materials, recordings, reference guides and in-system help can support end-user training, refreshers and onboarding for new employees.
Our team stays engaged well past go-live. Cantata’s support staff are Cantata employees based in the US. This is a significant differentiator, as most of the top behavioral health EHR vendors primarily use offshore support resources. We offer a multi-tiered staff structured support model which provides online, email, and phone access to experienced Application and Technical Support analysts.
No. Arize is intentionally built to be self-configurable, so once you’re live, your own team can create and modify forms, reports, dashboards, and workflows without waiting on a vendor ticket for every change. That’s a core part of what reduces vendor dependence over time.
Managed IT Services
Yes. We provide flexible, outsourced IT staffing and cybersecurity support. Services can include security and compliance, IT strategy and virtual CIO leadership, engineering, application management, help desk and field services, network monitoring, database and reporting services, and project management.
Cantata’s Managed IT Services are designed for behavioral health, human services, and healthcare organizations of all sizes. Our team understands the technology, security, and operational challenges facing the industry and can tailor its support to both smaller organizations with limited IT resources and larger health systems with complex technology environments.
Yes. Cantata’s Managed IT Services can support technology environments beyond Arize, including enterprise applications, infrastructure, networks, cloud services and devices, and even other EHR systems. Organizations can engage Cantata to address their broader IT needs, whether or not those needs are directly related to Arize.
Cantata can take full responsibility for your IT operations, add specialized expertise to your existing team, or support a specific project or strategic initiative. This flexible approach gives organizations access to the resources they need without requiring them to fill every IT role internally.
Pricing and Getting Started
Arize is offered through a subscription-based pricing model that’s designed to be simple and transparent. Cantata scopes each proposal around the organization’s size, workflows, requirements and development needs during the demo process. Pricing is generally structured per user, with implementation and ongoing support rolled into the monthly subscription fee. Because Cantata does not charge upfront for implementation, organizations can get started without a large initial payment while benefiting from more predictable costs.
We’ll begin with a brief introductory call to learn about your organization, including the services you provide and the number of people who use your EHR. We’ll discuss what prompted your interest in Cantata, the challenges you’re experiencing with your current system and what you hope to achieve with a new one. You’ll also have an opportunity to ask your initial questions about Arize. If the solution appears to be a good fit, we’ll schedule a personalized demo of Arize based on your organization’s needs.
That’s fine. You can start by exploring our resources, including our guide to evaluating an EHR change, our blog, and customer stories, at your own pace. There’s no pressure to commit before you’ve had a chance to see whether Arize is the right fit.