PIMSY vs AZZLY Rize (2026): Which BH/SUD Platform Fits Better?

Overview

PIMSY and AZZLY Rize are both purpose-built for behavioral health, but they win in different environments. PIMSY is favored by organizations that want highly configurable workflows and deeper control over documentation and treatment planning. AZZLY Rize is frequently chosen by organizations that need integrated operations across EHR, billing, and admissions with strong substance use disorder execution.

PIMSY has been in the market since 2009 and has built a reputation among multi-program behavioral health agencies that need to tailor nearly every form and workflow to local requirements. AZZLY Rize, founded in 2015, was designed from the start as an all-in-one cloud platform that bundles clinical, billing, and CRM functions into a single subscription. The architectural difference shapes everything downstream: implementation timelines, staffing requirements, ongoing maintenance burden, and total cost of ownership.

The right choice depends on whether your team values configurable flexibility or more prescriptive all-in-one operations. This comparison walks through each category that matters most when making that decision.

Documentation and Clinical Workflows

PIMSY

PIMSY's major strength is documentation control. Organizations can shape forms, templates, and clinical workflows around their own compliance expectations and payer contracts. The platform includes Wiley Treatment Planner integration, which gives clinicians access to a library of evidence-based treatment plan objectives, interventions, and goals. For agencies that need to produce highly structured, audit-ready treatment plans across diverse programs, this integration is a meaningful differentiator.

Custom form building in PIMSY goes deep: administrators can define field-level logic, required-field rules, and conditional sections that change based on clinician input. This flexibility is valuable for organizations running multiple programs under different regulatory frameworks. However, the power comes with a governance requirement. Without clear template ownership and change-control standards, form sprawl becomes a real problem over time.

AZZLY Rize

AZZLY Rize ships with pre-built templates designed specifically for behavioral health and SUD workflows. Intake assessments, biopsychosocial evaluations, group therapy notes, individual session notes, and discharge summaries follow industry-standard structures out of the box. Clinicians can start documenting on day one without waiting for weeks of template configuration.

The templates are customizable — administrators can add fields, modify section labels, and adjust required-field rules — but the starting point is already 80-90% of what most BH and SUD facilities need. Clinical teams that want less local build effort and faster time-to-standardization often prefer this approach. The result is lower training cost and more consistent documentation across providers.

Bottom Line

PIMSY is the stronger choice when your programs demand bespoke documentation with features like Wiley integration and deep form logic. AZZLY Rize saves significant time and training cost by starting with templates that cover most BH and SUD documentation needs. Organizations should weigh whether they have the internal capacity to build and maintain custom forms versus adopting a well-designed starting point.

Billing and Financial Operations

PIMSY

PIMSY uses a per-user pricing model for billing functionality. The platform supports claim generation, electronic submission, ERA posting, and basic denial management. For organizations with strong internal billing operations leadership, PIMSY can handle multi-payer environments effectively. Clearinghouse integration is available, though setup and ongoing configuration can require vendor-assisted support depending on the payer mix.

The per-user billing model means that costs scale linearly with headcount. For growing organizations adding clinicians, this pricing structure should be factored into total cost of ownership projections. Organizations with dedicated billing staff who understand the platform's configuration options can achieve strong clean-claim rates, but teams without that expertise may find the learning curve steeper than expected.

AZZLY Rize

AZZLY Rize includes integrated billing in its bundled subscription — claim scrubbing, electronic submission, ERA posting, and denial tracking are all part of the core platform. The system is pre-configured for common behavioral health and SUD billing scenarios, including group therapy billing with proper attendee-level claim generation, bundled per-diem rates used in residential treatment, and authorization tracking for managed care plans.

Because clinical documentation and billing share the same database, charge capture is automatic: when a clinician completes a note, the corresponding CPT and revenue codes are generated without manual intervention. This tight integration reduces the lag between service delivery and claim submission, which directly impacts cash flow. For a deeper look at how EHR pricing models affect long-term costs, see our EHR cost guide.

Bottom Line

AZZLY Rize's bundled billing model is simpler to budget for and easier to operate day-to-day, especially for organizations without a large billing department. PIMSY's per-user model can work well for agencies with strong billing operations, but the linear cost scaling and configuration overhead should be evaluated carefully during the selection process.

SUD and Addiction Treatment Specifics

PIMSY

PIMSY can support addiction treatment workflows, and some SUD programs do use it. The platform's configurability means that organizations can build ASAM-aligned assessments and level-of-care tracking into their clinical workflows. However, these workflows typically need to be constructed and maintained by the organization rather than being available out of the box. For SUD programs that also deliver general mental health services, PIMSY's flexibility across both domains can be an advantage.

42 CFR Part 2 compliance is manageable in PIMSY through access controls and consent tracking, but it does not offer the same degree of automated Part 2 enforcement that SUD-first platforms provide. Organizations should validate Part 2 segmentation and disclosure tracking thoroughly during evaluation.

AZZLY Rize

AZZLY Rize was designed from the ground up for SUD providers. Native ASAM Criteria-based assessment tools map directly to level-of-care recommendations, helping clinicians match patients to appropriate treatment intensity from early intervention through medically managed intensive inpatient. Bed management and census tracking are built into the platform, giving residential programs real-time visibility into capacity across levels of care.

42 CFR Part 2 consent management is woven into the core workflow. Consent forms, disclosure tracking, and revocation workflows are built into the patient chart, and the system enforces Part 2 segmentation rules automatically. For facilities running residential plus outpatient models, AZZLY Rize handles the level-of-care transitions and handoffs that frequently create billing and documentation leakage in less specialized systems.

Bottom Line

If SUD treatment is your primary or dominant service line, AZZLY Rize delivers a more complete, out-of-the-box experience with native ASAM integration, bed management, and automated Part 2 compliance. PIMSY can serve SUD programs through configuration but requires more internal effort to build and maintain those workflows. For a broader view of SUD-capable platforms, see our behavioral health EHR comparison.

HR, Payroll, and CRM Capabilities

PIMSY

PIMSY stands out from most behavioral health EHRs by offering an integrated HR and payroll module. This is unusual in the BH EHR market and can be valuable for agencies that want to consolidate workforce management within their clinical platform. The HR module covers employee records, credentialing tracking, time and attendance, and basic payroll functions. For multi-site agencies managing dozens or hundreds of clinicians, having HR data in the same system as clinical operations can simplify credentialing audits and workforce planning.

AZZLY Rize

AZZLY Rize does not include HR or payroll functionality, but it does include an integrated CRM and admissions module. The CRM tracks referral sources, manages the admissions pipeline, and provides visibility into conversion rates from inquiry to admission. For SUD treatment centers where census management and bed fill rates directly impact revenue, this CRM functionality is operationally significant. Organizations using AZZLY Rize typically pair it with a separate HR/payroll system like ADP, Paychex, or Gusto.

Bottom Line

PIMSY's HR module is a genuine differentiator for agencies that want workforce management and clinical operations on one platform. AZZLY Rize's CRM and admissions pipeline tools are more relevant for treatment centers focused on census optimization and referral management. Neither platform covers both domains, so organizations should decide which operational gap matters more to them.

Reporting and Governance

PIMSY

PIMSY appeals to organizations that want more control over how reports and documentation structures are designed. The platform offers configurable reporting tools that let administrators build custom report templates aligned to their specific program metrics, payer requirements, and state reporting obligations. If your leadership team has dedicated informatics and operations support, this flexibility can become a competitive advantage over time.

AZZLY Rize

AZZLY Rize provides a library of pre-built reports covering census, utilization, financial performance, clinical outcomes, and compliance metrics. Reports are accessible through the web interface without needing to write queries. The platform also supports ASAM-aligned outcome reporting and tracks key treatment metrics like average length of stay, readmission rates, and completion rates by level of care. Operational data is typically easier to action across teams because the platform is designed around integrated workflows.

Bottom Line

PIMSY gives you more raw control over reporting design, which rewards organizations with dedicated data and informatics staff. AZZLY Rize delivers practical, ready-to-use reports that serve day-to-day operational and compliance needs without requiring a reporting specialist. For most growth-stage organizations, faster cross-functional visibility matters more than high-end configurability.

Implementation Considerations

PIMSY

PIMSY implementations are successful when organizations commit to governance: clear template ownership, change-control standards, and a documented rollout cadence. A typical PIMSY deployment takes 8 to 16 weeks depending on the number of programs, custom forms, and integrations. Organizations need to allocate internal project management time and identify clinical champions who will own template design and testing. Without this discipline, flexibility can become inconsistency and form sprawl that undermines data quality.

AZZLY Rize

AZZLY Rize implementations often move faster because the pre-built templates reduce the time spent in design sessions. Most facilities are live within 4 to 8 weeks, including data migration, staff training, and go-live support. The cloud-native architecture eliminates on-premise infrastructure provisioning. For organizations opening a new treatment facility or transitioning from paper, the speed advantage is substantial. Faster go-live means faster revenue capture, which matters in the cash-sensitive addiction treatment market.

Bottom Line

PIMSY's implementation timeline is longer but results in a more customized system. AZZLY Rize's 4-to-8-week go-live is a significant advantage for organizations that need to be operational quickly. The key question is whether your team has the project management capacity and patience for a longer build, or whether speed to revenue matters more.

Pricing and Total Cost of Ownership

Both vendors use quote-based pricing, so exact figures depend on organization size, user count, and selected modules. However, the cost structures differ in important ways.

PIMSY

PIMSY's per-user pricing model means costs scale with headcount. The HR/payroll module, treatment planner integrations, and advanced reporting tools may carry additional fees. Implementation costs are moderate but can increase significantly if the organization needs extensive custom form development or vendor-assisted configuration. For a 30-clinician agency, total first-year costs including implementation typically fall in the mid-five-figure range.

AZZLY Rize

AZZLY Rize's bundled subscription includes EHR, billing, CRM, and reporting in a single price. This model is easier to budget for because there are fewer add-on surprises. Implementation costs are lower due to the shorter timeline and reduced configuration requirements. The bundled approach generally results in a lower total cost of ownership for organizations that do not need PIMSY's HR module or deep form customization.

Bottom Line

AZZLY Rize typically offers a lower and more predictable total cost of ownership. PIMSY's per-user model can be cost-effective for smaller teams but scales linearly with growth, and add-on modules increase the total spend. Organizations should request detailed pricing from both vendors and model three-year TCO including implementation, training, and projected headcount growth. For a framework to evaluate costs, see the EHR cost guide.

Feature Comparison at a Glance

Feature	PIMSY	AZZLY Rize
Custom Form Builder	Deep, field-level logic	Moderate, pre-built starting point
Wiley Treatment Planner	Integrated	Not included
ASAM Criteria Assessment	Configurable	Native, built-in
42 CFR Part 2 Compliance	Supported via configuration	Automated, native enforcement
Bed Management / Census	Limited	Built-in, real-time
Integrated Billing	Per-user add-on	Bundled in subscription
Clearinghouse Integration	Available	Included
HR / Payroll Module	Included	Not included
CRM / Admissions Pipeline	Limited	Integrated
Telehealth	Available	Included
Typical Go-Live Timeline	8-16 weeks	4-8 weeks
Pricing Model	Per-user, quote-based	Bundled subscription, quote-based

Selection Guidance

Choose PIMSY if:

• Your programs need substantial documentation and workflow customization, including Wiley Treatment Planner integration.
• You have internal operations leadership to manage governance, template ownership, and change control at scale.
• Integrated HR and payroll is a priority and you want to consolidate workforce management with clinical operations.
• Your organization delivers primarily mental health services with some SUD programming.

Choose AZZLY Rize if:

• You want integrated BH/SUD operations with strong billing cohesion in a single subscription.
• SUD treatment is a primary service line and you need native ASAM, bed management, and Part 2 compliance.
• You need predictable cross-team workflows with less customization overhead and faster go-live.
• CRM and admissions pipeline management are important for census optimization and referral tracking.

If neither platform fully matches your needs, consider also evaluating Netsmart for enterprise-scale deployments or Ease for an independent perspective on platform fit. Our Netsmart vs AZZLY Rize comparison covers the enterprise end of the market.

Final Verdict

PIMSY is the better fit for behavioral health agencies that can exploit configurability to match unique care-delivery models, particularly those that value Wiley-integrated treatment planning and consolidated HR operations. AZZLY Rize is the stronger fit for organizations prioritizing all-in-one operational execution with native SUD workflows, integrated billing, and CRM-driven admissions management.

For large provider groups, the best approach is a structured pilot with measurable outcomes around documentation cycle time, clean-claim yield, authorization turnaround, and clinician satisfaction. Both vendors should be willing to support a demonstration environment. For guidance on running an effective evaluation, see our EHR selection process guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PIMSY a good choice for SUD treatment centers?

PIMSY can support SUD workflows through its configurable form builder and treatment planning tools. However, it does not include native ASAM assessment, bed management, or automated 42 CFR Part 2 enforcement out of the box. SUD-focused organizations will need to build and maintain those workflows internally. For programs where SUD is the dominant service line, AZZLY Rize or other SUD-first platforms typically offer a faster path to operational readiness.

Does AZZLY Rize include HR and payroll features?

No. AZZLY Rize focuses on clinical, billing, and CRM operations. Organizations using AZZLY Rize typically pair it with a dedicated HR and payroll platform such as ADP, Paychex, or Gusto. If consolidated HR and clinical operations are a high priority, PIMSY's integrated HR module may be a better fit for that specific requirement.

How do PIMSY and AZZLY Rize compare on telehealth?

Both platforms offer telehealth capabilities. AZZLY Rize includes telehealth within the core subscription, with session documentation tied directly to the patient chart. PIMSY supports telehealth as well, though organizations should confirm whether it is included in the base pricing or requires an additional module. Both platforms allow clinicians to conduct video sessions and document encounters without leaving the EHR.

Which platform is better for a multi-program agency with both MH and SUD services?

It depends on the balance. If your organization delivers roughly equal mental health and SUD services and needs maximum documentation flexibility across both, PIMSY's configurability can serve both domains. If SUD is the larger or more operationally complex service line and you want integrated admissions and billing workflows optimized for addiction treatment, AZZLY Rize is typically the stronger starting point. For enterprise-scale multi-program agencies, also consider evaluating Netsmart.

What does a typical implementation look like for each platform?

A PIMSY implementation typically takes 8 to 16 weeks and requires dedicated internal project management, clinical champions for template design, and governance planning. An AZZLY Rize implementation typically takes 4 to 8 weeks because the pre-built templates reduce design sessions and configuration time. Both vendors provide training and go-live support, but AZZLY Rize's shorter timeline means faster time to revenue. For more guidance on implementation planning, see our EHR selection process article.