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Building smart, sustainable AI strategies in home care
The future of home care isn’t just about digital tools. It’s about how we use them to support the people delivering care every day.
Earlier this year, we hosted a roundtable on digital transformation in home care. That conversation made one thing clear: we need ongoing, open discussions to make real change. So this month, we brought home-based care leaders together again — this time to focus on how AI is shaping the future of home-based care.
The roundtable brought together healthcare executives, operators, and policy leaders to talk through real-world use cases, upcoming Medicaid shifts, and the path to sustainable adoption. Here’s what we heard.
Start small. Solve real problems.
AI in home care doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. The most promising use cases are also the most practical: speeding up intake, reducing charting time, and helping teams handle shift coverage without burning out.
Participants shared early wins from tools like AI scribing assistants and automated claims appeals. These solutions reduce friction without requiring major system overhauls. They also build trust with teams and show immediate improvements in productivity.
Use AI to support people, not replace them
Labor shortages are ongoing, and the group agreed: AI should reduce the burden on care teams, not add to it.
That includes using automation to handle admin work, simplify onboarding, and match caregivers to shifts more efficiently. Leaders also discussed the potential of AI to improve hiring — especially for aides, nurses, and therapists — by identifying the best candidates faster.
If AI is going to succeed in home care, it needs to reflect the realities of front-line work.
Implementation is a process, not a quick switch
Most organizations aren’t launching fully AI-powered operations overnight. Many are starting with what they already have: business rules, basic automation, and repeatable workflows.
The group emphasized a “crawl, walk, run” approach. Quick wins — like reduced errors, faster shift fills, and easier documentation — are key to getting buy-in from boards and staff. And the real value of AI isn’t just in cost savings. It’s in building a more stable, supported workforce.
Funding changes are coming and tech can help
Federal legislation is expected to increase pressure on Medicaid budgets and introduce more complex eligibility requirements. While the impact will vary by state, most leaders are already preparing for new mandates.
Technology will be key to navigating this shift. Real-time eligibility tools and automated verification can help reduce the risk of errors and retroactive clawbacks. The group discussed AI’s role in building resilience — not just efficiency — into the system.
Where leaders are focusing next
To move from discussion to action, the group aligned on a few priorities:
Recruitment and after-hours support
Emerging solutions are showing promise in helping agencies hire faster and reduce the burden on on-call staff through AI-powered triage and routing.
AI readiness assessment tools
Organizations need a clear way to evaluate their infrastructure, data, and workflows before adopting AI. New tools are being developed to guide this process and identify high-impact, low-risk starting points.
Pilots for intake, scribing, and shift matching
Focused pilot programs will test the value of AI in real scenarios and help build a roadmap for broader rollout.
The takeaway
This was the second in a series of executive roundtables focused on reshaping home care. The momentum is growing — not just around AI itself, but around the shared commitment to use technology in a way that strengthens the workforce and delivers better care.
We’ll keep hosting these conversations and sharing what we learn. Because transformation doesn’t happen in isolation, it starts with the people willing to come together and make it happen.
Understanding the impact of caregiver churn
Let’s crunch some numbers first to find out why caregivers and other staff choose to leave their jobs. We collaborated with Home Health Care News (HHCN) to survey home-based care providers about the main reasons for churn in their organizations and what they’re actively doing and investing in to retain and recruit.
