ANKOTA

Overview

ANKOTA brings client and caregiver management, care plans, scheduling, billing, payroll calculations and compliance into one system. That breadth can reduce handoffs between core agency workflows; its support for PACE programs, Area Agencies on Aging and Centers for Independent Living also extends beyond conventional home-care agencies.

Visit verification records arrival and departure times and locations through GPS, voice telephony or fixed-object beacons. The mobile app can work offline and sync after connectivity returns, which is useful for visits in areas with unreliable coverage. ANKOTA says it transmits visit data to aggregators including Sandata, HHAeXchange, Therap, Tellus/Netsmart and Authenticare.

Key features

Scheduling, billing and compliance

Scheduling covers recurring shifts, appointment booking, open-shift filling, assessment scheduling and route optimization. ANKOTA Cares also describes authorization management, Medicaid claims through EDI 837, remittance through EDI 835 and accounts receivable management. This combination is most useful to providers that want visit records tied to authorization and billing workflows rather than handled in separate systems.

Apps and integrations

The caregiver app supports EVV clock-in and clock-out, schedules, open shifts, office chat, document uploads and multiple languages. The family app gives participants and loved ones access to visit and calendar views, agency contact details, updates and shift requests; adult day programs can also share photos and updates.

The public API can accept lead, CRM, applicant, client, caregiver and visit data. Named connections include Salesforce and HubSpot for CRM or lead capture, BambooHR, Viventium and Paylocity for HR, and QuickBooks for accounting. ANKOTA can also send information to payroll services. That integration scope helps connect operations to existing tools, though teams should confirm that their particular systems and workflows are supported.

Security and payroll scope

ANKOTA says its platform uses encryption and role-based access and is HIPAA compliant. Its privacy policy describes safeguards for personal information and a standard retention period of seven years from last activity. Operational records belong to the agency or organization that granted access; individual users cannot ask ANKOTA to delete those records unilaterally.

ANKOTA calculates caregiver pay and exports it to payroll services, but agencies generally use a dedicated provider to issue payments and file payroll taxes. It can therefore support payroll preparation without replacing a provider responsible for disbursements and tax filings.

Pricing

ANKOTA has no free plan, and pricing is custom. The ANKOTA Agency Platform covers home care, EVV, I/DD, adult day and self-direction programs; prospective customers are directed to contact ANKOTA for pricing. The Ankota Cares annual subscription offer covers home care agency management and EVV with no startup fee. It provides two free months with a paid annual subscription, expressed as paying for 10 months and getting 12.

An older product overview says monthly fees depend on agency size and telephony fees are additional. That makes agency size and any telephony use relevant to budgeting, while the annual offer is aimed at home care agencies prepared to commit for a year. ANKOTA advertises onboarding training and ongoing customer support, including training through web meetings.

Platforms

ANKOTA supports Android, iOS, web and API access. The FMS app is available on iOS, Android and the web, while KOTA Companion is available through the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Who it's for

ANKOTA is a strong candidate for home care, adult day, I/DD and self-direction providers that need EVV alongside scheduling, care documentation, billing and compliance. Its stated audience also includes PACE programs, Area Agencies on Aging and Centers for Independent Living. Providers seeking a standalone payroll service, or those unwilling to evaluate a custom-priced system, should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Broad care-operations coverage: Scheduling, documentation, billing, payroll calculations and compliance sit alongside EVV, serving more than one care setting.
• Flexible visit verification: GPS, telephony and fixed-object beacons provide alternatives for recording visits, and the mobile app can sync after offline use.
• Useful integration surface: The API and named CRM, HR, accounting and payroll connections can link agency operations to existing systems.
• Custom pricing: There is no free plan, and agencies must request pricing rather than compare a published rate.
• Payroll is not end-to-end: Agencies generally still need a dedicated provider for payments and payroll tax filings.
• Long data retention: The standard retention period is seven years from last activity, and individual users cannot independently request deletion of agency records.

Alternatives

For a broader shortlist of products in this category, see Home Care Scheduling Software.

• AxisCare is another paid option for agencies comparing client-count-based agency plans and Android, iOS, web and API platforms.
• CareSmartz360 is another paid option with plans framed for growing and large agencies, including an AI feature in its growing-agency plan.
• ShiftCare is worth comparing if a free trial and a stated minimum of five staff suit your evaluation; its Premium plan lists $20 per user per month billed annually or $25 per user per month billed monthly.
• CareVoyant is another paid home-care option for readers who want to request a demo.
• Birdie is an alternative with a free trial and a SmartPlans subscription priced from £2.75 per recording hour on a monthly commitment, with unused hours rolling forward.
• CareCade is worth considering if a free trial and published monthly tiers better suit your evaluation: Grow is $300 per month for up to 50 clients, while Scale is $550 per month for unlimited clients.
• AveeCare offers a free trial and a single plan at $6 per patient per month, billed monthly based on peak active patient count, with unlimited users and caregivers.
• CareConnect EVV is another paid EVV option with published monthly tiers, including a Starter plan at $299 per month for up to 10 active clients and a $1,000 implementation and onboarding fee.

Verdict

Choose ANKOTA if your agency needs one operational platform for EVV, care workflows and billing across home care, adult day, self-direction or I/DD services. Its mix of visit-verification methods, scheduling, Medicaid billing workflows and integrations is the central reason to shortlist it. Look elsewhere if you need published pricing or a system that handles payroll payments and tax filings itself.