Alora Home Care vs Birdie

Alora Home Care combines scheduling, electronic visit verification (EVV), billing, payroll and caregiver management for home care agencies. Scheduling supports recurring visits and open shifts, matches caregivers to visits, and flags conflicts automatically. Built-in EVV uses GPS and telephony, monitors visits live, and alerts agencies to delays and no-shows. Alora says EVV connects with HHAeXchange, Sandata, Netsmart and CareBridge. Completed visits can flow automatically into billing and payroll, with billing support for multiple payer types. Caregiver records can track credentials and pay rates, with alerts before credentials expire. Caregivers can document visits without a signal, and information syncs when they reconnect. The product is aimed at personal care, companion care and Medicaid waiver agencies; Alora also supports home health and hospice. It lists access for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android devices and Windows desktops, laptops and tablets. Alora says its mobile app is HIPAA compliant and that PHI in Alora Anywhere is encrypted on the device and in transit. The home care page says licenses are unlimited and multiple offices carry no extra cost. Pricing depends on agency users or patient count and is available by written quote.

Birdie is a technology platform for homecare agencies that connects care management, rostering, finance, and compliance. Its client record combines care plans, visit notes, and eMAR. Office staff and managers use the secure web-based Agency Hub, while carers can access schedules, care plans, tasks, messaging, and check-in tools through an app with offline capabilities. A Family App gives relatives visit updates and care notes. Birdie says it includes more than 50 pre-built reports and real-time dashboards. It lists rostering integrations with Careplanner/Nourish, Malinko, Cold Harbour, Caras, Quickplan, iCare, and CareFree, while stating it accepts no new integrations for CareFree. Business connections include Xero/QuickBooks, payroll systems such as Sage, CRM systems, API access, and custom exports. Agency plans are priced according to scheduled care hours and require a quote. SmartPlans is not standalone: its listed options are £2.75 hour with a monthly commitment, or £3.50 hour billed monthly with no minimum commitment; three starting hours are free.