Alpaca Health vs Hi-5 ABA
Hi-5 ABA is an ABA franchise built for BCBAs. Alpaca Health helps BCBAs start their own practice without a franchise.
Alpaca Health and Hi-5 ABA compared
| Compared on | Alpaca Health | Hi-5 ABA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Alpaca Health$0 | Hi-5 ABA$50,000 to $72,000 fee |
| How your pay is set | Alpaca HealthSet rates per session, higher when you find the client | Hi-5 ABAFranchise fee plus royalties |
| When you get paid | Alpaca HealthEvery 2 weeks, guaranteed | Hi-5 ABAHi-5 ABA files and collects |
| How long credentialing takes | Alpaca HealthTypically weeks, under existing contracts | Hi-5 ABAHi-5 ABA runs the process |
| Who sources your clients | Alpaca HealthShared, referrals stay yours | Hi-5 ABANational marketing plus your outreach |
| Who sources your RBTs | Alpaca HealthBoth post jobs, Alpaca Health runs payroll | Hi-5 ABAHi-5 ABA assists with recruiting |
| Clinical software | Alpaca HealthBuilt in house | Hi-5 ABANot specified |
| Who owns the practice | Alpaca HealthYou do | Hi-5 ABAYou do, under their brand |
| States covered | Alpaca HealthTexas, Colorado, North Carolina, Hawaii, Michigan | Hi-5 ABA21 locations listed |
What you get with Alpaca Health
Alpaca Health sets up the practice and gets you credentialed under contracts it already holds.
How long credentialing takes
You cannot bill until you are credentialed, so the wait decides how long you go without income after leaving a salary.
Alpaca Health
You are credentialed under existing group contracts, including Medicaid, so you join contracts that already exist instead of applying for your own.
Hi-5 ABA
Hi-5 ABA runs the credentialing process for its franchisees and handles the insurance relationship.
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
If a claim is denied or delayed, Alpaca Health takes the loss. Your payout does not change and nothing is clawed back from your practice, so a rejected claim never reaches your payroll.
How Hi-5 ABA handles it
Hi-5 ABA files claims and manages collections for franchisees, and your clinic receives what the insurer settles. With Alpaca Health the cycle is fixed at two weeks either way.
Who brings you clients and staff
Both run national marketing. Local outreach is your clinic's work either way.
Where your clients come from
Hi-5 ABA franchisees market under the national brand and benefit from negotiated vendor rates and peer support.
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.
Hiring RBTs
Hi-5 ABA assists franchisees with staff recruitment. With Alpaca Health you post the role and so does Alpaca Health, on Indeed and other job boards. Once they start, Alpaca Health runs the payroll.
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. Payroll runs off the sessions your staff sign out, and AI session note and treatment plan tools are built in, with the clinical decisions left to you.
Hi-5 ABA does not name a platform
Their franchise pages describe manuals, templates and training materials rather than a named clinical system.
What happens if you leave or switch
The agreement with Alpaca Health runs one year and renews. You can end it with 90 days' notice at no cost.
Is there a lock-in or exit fee?
Alpaca Health does not ask for exclusivity, so you can work with another platform at the same time, and there is no termination fee. You keep your own LLC and brand throughout and are credentialed under contracts that already exist.
Whose brand is on the practice?
A franchise practice trades under the Hi-5 ABA name. With Alpaca Health your practice carries your own name.
What happens to your families and staff?
Clients you found stay with your practice. Clients Alpaca Health referred to you stay with Alpaca Health. Staff Alpaca Health recruited for you can come with you. There is no non-solicit on them.
Which states are covered
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
Hi-5 ABA lists 21 locations
Hi-5 ABA lists practice locations across 20 states and Washington DC. Their Franchise Disclosure Document is available in certain states only.
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.
No franchise fee and your own brand
You launch under your own name and keep your own LLC. Alpaca Health takes no equity and charges nothing to start.
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 Headstart Health, Finni Health, Tilly Therapy, Passage Health and Success On The Spectrum. Compare all major ABA platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Does Hi-5 ABA take equity in my practice?
No. Hi-5 ABA says the practice is 100% owned and independently operated by the franchisee, and Alpaca Health takes no equity either. A franchise pays an initial fee and trades under the franchisor's brand. With Alpaca Health you launch under your own name, with no fee to start.
What does Hi-5 ABA charge?
Their FAQ gives an initial franchise fee of $50,000 to $72,000 and says it is not the only initial investment, with the rest in the Franchise Disclosure Document. Alpaca Health charges nothing to launch and pays your practice set rates per session from a rate sheet, with a higher rate for clients you find yourself. You get the rate sheet for your state on a first call, so you can model your take-home pay.
What happens to my insurance contracts if I leave?
Hi-5 ABA obtains credentials for its franchisees. Alpaca Health credentials you under contracts it already holds, which is what makes it fast. If you leave Alpaca Health, the clients you found stay with your practice and staff Alpaca Health recruited can come with you. There is no termination fee, and the agreement can be ended with 90 days' notice.
Do I have to use a particular clinical software?
Hi-5 ABA describes manuals, templates and training rather than a named clinical platform. 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?
Hi-5 ABA lists practice locations across 20 states and Washington DC. Alpaca Health supports practices in Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Hawaii and Michigan, and in those five you join insurance contracts that already exist there, including Medicaid.
Who brings in the clients?
Hi-5 ABA franchisees market under the national brand. 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. 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.