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
- Buyers who need a published price list
Bottom line
Sunwave makes software for addiction treatment and behavioral health centers that combines a customer relationship tool for admissions, clinical records, and billing. It was formed when Sunwave Health and Lightning Step merged in October 2025, and in July 2026 it named a new chief executive. It fits treatment centers that want admissions, clinical, and billing work in one system, with the caution that the merged product is still coming together.
Score breakdown
Weights: Outcomes 35% · Product 30% · Implementation 20% · Pricing clarity 15%.
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. In October 2025 the two merged with a growth investment from BVP Forge, and in June 2026 they took the single name Sunwave. Its software tracks prospective patients from the first call through admission, keeps clinical records, and handles billing, and its AI tool, SIA, drafts progress notes and session summaries for clinicians to review. Customers stay on the system they use today while Sunwave builds toward one product.
In July 2026 Sunwave named Corey Hansen chief executive and formed Crest, an advisory board of leaders from nine behavioral health organizations. Sunwave says customers have cut administrative time by 40% and days in accounts receivable by 20%. Those figures come from Sunwave and have not been independently checked.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Valant | 7.5 | 7.6 |
| Kipu Health | 7.4 | 7.1 |
| Sunwave | 6.9 | 6.6 |
Pricing
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | Custom quote from Sunwave. |
| What usually drives cost | Number of facilities, beds, and users, which modules are used (CRM, EMR, RCM, AI documentation), and revenue cycle services. |
| What to ask in diligence | Which product you will run on, the plan for moving customers onto one system, migration costs, and price protection. |
| Published pricing | No public list price. |
Prerequisites for purchase
| Need | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What you need to get Sunwave to function | |
| Operations leader who owns systems | The switch touches every team. |
| Admissions and marketing process map | CRM setup follows it. |
| Payer contracts and billing rules | Claims depend on them. |
| Clinical templates by level of care | Notes differ by program. |
| Clarity on which product you will run | The merged product is still changing. |
| What will maximize your value | |
| Track inquiries to admission | Shows marketing results. |
| Turn on AI notes with review | Cuts documentation time. |
| Review denials by payer monthly | Finds billing gaps. |
| Deal-breakers | |
| Outpatient practice only | |
| Needs a settled single product now | |
| No one 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.