Alpaca Health vs Headstart Health
Both companies help BCBAs start and run their own ABA practice. They differ on what they charge, when they pay you, who finds your clients, and whose software you work in.
Alpaca Health and Headstart Health compared
| Compared on | Alpaca Health | Headstart Health |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Alpaca Health$0 | Headstart Health$0 |
| Revenue share | Alpaca HealthShared on your first call | Headstart HealthA percentage of revenue |
| When you get paid | Alpaca HealthEvery 2 weeks, guaranteed | Headstart HealthYou collect from the insurer |
| How long credentialing takes | Alpaca HealthUnder existing contracts | Headstart HealthIn-network setup handled |
| Who sources your clients | Alpaca HealthShared, referrals stay yours | Headstart HealthHeadstart Health sources |
| Who sources your RBTs | Alpaca HealthYou hire, Alpaca Health runs payroll | Headstart HealthHeadstart Health recruits |
| Clinical software | Alpaca HealthBuilt in house | Headstart HealthNot specified |
| Who owns the practice | Alpaca HealthYou do | Headstart HealthYou do |
| States covered | Alpaca HealthTexas, Colorado, North Carolina, Hawaii, Michigan | Headstart HealthGeorgia, North Carolina, Indiana |
What it costs and what you keep
What you pay comes down to what each company takes once you are billing.
How long credentialing takes
Credentialing is the gap between leaving a salary and billing your first session.
Alpaca Health
You are credentialed under existing group contracts, including Medicaid, so you join contracts that already exist instead of applying for your own.
Headstart Health
Headstart Health handles getting you in-network as part of their onboarding.
When you get paid
Payment timing sets how long a new practice has to cover payroll out of its own pocket.
Every two weeks, guaranteed
Alpaca Health pays on a fixed two-week cycle rather than when the insurer settles.
Denials and clawbacks absorbed
They sit with Alpaca Health, not with your practice, so a rejected claim does not become a hole in your payroll.
How Headstart Health handles it
With Headstart Health your practice collects payment, so your cash flow follows the insurer's timeline.
Who brings you clients and staff
Headstart Health sources most of both.
Where your clients come from
Headstart Health sources most clients and RBTs for the practices on their platform.
Alpaca Health shares the work
Alpaca Health runs national marketing and press to bring in leads, and your practice does its own local outreach, so the referral relationships you build stay with you.
Payroll is handled either way
Alpaca Health runs your payroll. Your practice sources its own RBTs.
What software you use
You will work in this software every day, and support comes from whoever builds it.
Alpaca Health builds its own
Scheduling, data collection, session notes, billing, intake and payroll run in one system built and maintained in house.
What Headstart Health provides
Headstart Health covers software as part of what it provides.
What happens if you leave or switch
Both companies credential you under contracts they already hold, which is why it is fast. Who holds those contracts matters if you move on.
Who holds the payer contracts?
Headstart Health credentials you as part of onboarding. With Alpaca Health you join contracts that already exist and keep your own LLC throughout.
What happens to your families?
The families you treat come to your own practice, and the referral relationships you build stay with you.
Can you practise independently after?
You keep your own LLC and your own brand with Alpaca Health, so the practice remains yours.
Which states each company covers
Where a company is credentialed today decides where you can bill. Alpaca Health is credentialed in all five states below.
Alpaca Health covers five states
Headstart Health hires in three
Why BCBAs choose Alpaca Health
You own the practice and the brand, and Alpaca Health takes no equity in it.
Paid every two weeks, guaranteed
Alpaca Health pays on a fixed cycle and absorbs denials and clawbacks, so a rejected claim never lands on your payroll.
Software built and supported in house
Scheduling, data collection, notes, billing, intake and payroll run in one system Alpaca Health builds and maintains itself.
Credentialed under existing contracts
You join insurance contracts that already exist, including Medicaid, across all five states Alpaca Health operates in.
If you are weighing other alternatives or thinking about switching, Alpaca Health is also compared with Finni Health, Tilly Therapy, Passage Health, Success On The Spectrum and Hi-5 ABA. Compare all major ABA platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Does Headstart Health take equity in my practice?
No. Headstart Health takes no equity, and neither does Alpaca Health. Both leave you owning your company and your brand. With Alpaca Health you are also paid every two weeks on a guaranteed cycle, so the practice you own has predictable cash flow behind it.
What does Headstart Health charge?
Headstart Health takes a small percentage of your revenue once billing begins, and Alpaca Health takes a share too. Alpaca Health gives you its number directly on a first call, so you can model your take-home pay before you commit to anything.
What happens to my insurance contracts if I leave?
Both companies credential you under contracts they already hold, which is what makes it fast. With Alpaca Health you keep your own LLC and your own brand throughout, so the practice stays yours.
Do I have to use a particular clinical software?
Yes with both. Headstart Health covers software as part of what it provides. Alpaca Health builds and maintains its own, so scheduling, notes, billing, intake and payroll sit in one system and support comes from the team that wrote it.
Which company operates in my state?
Alpaca Health supports practices in Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Hawaii and Michigan. Headstart Health hires in Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina. In any of Alpaca Health's five states you join insurance contracts that already exist there, including Medicaid.
Who brings in the clients?
Headstart Health sources most clients for the practices on their platform. Alpaca Health shares it, running national marketing and press while your practice does its own local outreach, which means the referral relationships you build stay with you.
How does Alpaca Health compare with other ABA platforms?
Alpaca Health is compared with Headstart Health, Finni Health, Tilly Therapy, Passage Health, Success On The Spectrum and Hi-5 ABA on the same points, so you can line them up side by side. Compare all major ABA platforms.
Start your own ABA practice with Alpaca Health
Alpaca Health sets up your legal entity, credentials you under existing insurance contracts including Medicaid, and runs billing, payroll and intake on software built in house. You own the practice and the brand, and Alpaca Health takes no equity.