Better Outcomes 2024 Highlights: Innovation and the Future of Home-Based Care

The 2024 Better Outcomes conference saw the highest attendance ever, with over 750 registrants taking in 11 main stage presentations, 15 AlayaCare University Live courses, and nine breakout sessions — plus a fantastic party celebrating 10 years of AlayaCare! 

Better Outcomes is more than just a user conference — it’s a chance for home and community care professionals across specialties and service lines from the U.S., Canada, and abroad to come together to prioritize improving outcomes across the industry. This annual, three-day event fosters collaboration, innovation, and learning, uniting professionals in a shared mission to reimagine the future of home-based care. Attendees come to gain valuable insights, share best practices, and explore cutting-edge technology, all while networking with peers and industry leaders. 

Leading the charge in care transformation 

This year’s conference featured forward-thinking sessions that highlighted how AI, data analytics, and automation are reshaping the landscape of home care. Presenters showcased real-world applications of these technologies, emphasizing how care providers can leverage them to drive better client outcomes, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the caregiver experience. From predictive analytics to personalized care planning, the sessions offered practical, actionable insights that attendees could take back to their organizations and implement right away. 

Here are several key takeaways from Better Outcomes 2024: 

Utilizing new technology to complement human effort, not replace it 

By embracing cloud-based infrastructure and AI tools, home care providers can improve both patient outcomes and operational efficiency. With technology like AI Scribes and large language models (LLMs), care providers can optimize routes and make travel more efficient, as well as improve the caregiver experience. For in-home caregivers who travel to visit clients and patients, tools that facilitate note-taking and LLMs that can access large quantities of information and surface what’s most important can have a huge impact on their work.

During her session The Future of AI in Home-Based Care, Naomi Goldapple, SVP of Data & Intelligence at AlayaCare, separated the hype from the practical applications of this technology. Goldapple highlighted where LLMs excel: summarizing complex medical notes, translating information into multiple languages, and extracting structured data from unstructured sources — such as caregiver reports. These can all turn into more accurate and timely care decisions by ensuring that critical patient information is accessible and actionable.   

However, Goldapple also pointed out the limitations of generative AI models, which can come with a high cost and environmental impact. She outlined that they’re not suitable for complex reasoning or handling tasks that require precision, such as mathematical calculations. This reinforces the need to integrate AI models carefully within healthcare workflows, ensuring they complement human expertise without over-relying on their capabilities.   

During his opening keynote, AlayaCare CEO and founder Adrian Schauer said, “I think we’re going to need to think about what happens in our organizations in a different way, and we’re going to have to start thinking about what are the things that the humans are better at, and what are the things that the machines are in fact, better at.” Rather than replacing people with technology, Schauer believes this shift will free care providers to do the things they love. “I think this will have the effect of making our organizations more human, not less human.” 

Digital transformation can be challenging, but it’s worth it 

During the Mastering Your Potential in Home Care session, Chief Operating Officer at AlayaCare George Psiharis tackled the myth that digital transformation in home care is seamless and easy. Psiharis candidly discussed how real transformation is more akin to an ongoing climb, requiring continuous adaptation, collaboration, and innovation. He pointed out that the use of AI and automation tools could dramatically reshape operations, but only when organizations embrace the complexities and challenges involved in fully digitizing their care models.  

A key takeaway from Psiharis’ session was the “home care flywheel” effect, where small gains in caregiver retention can lead to exponential improvements in client care, operational efficiency, and business growth. By reducing monthly caregiver churn by even a modest amount, organizations can achieve greater consistency in care delivery, resulting in better health outcomes for clients. Home-based care organizations should view their technological journeys as ongoing processes of improvement rather than quick fixes, emphasizing the importance of making data-driven decisions to unlock long-term success. 

During The Pioneering Digital Evolution session, featuring industry leaders Steve Paraskevopoulos of ParaMed and Jamie Wright of Elara Caring, also discussed the need for home care providers to invest in technology not only for back-office operations but also for improving the experiences of caregivers and clients on the frontlines. Wright highlighted the importance of adaptability, using the example of how Elara Caring adjusted its systems across multiple states to meet varying regulatory demands and client needs. 

Both speakers emphasized that while digital transformation requires significant upfront investments, the long-term benefits far outweigh the costs. For Paraskevopoulos, the key is understanding the total cost of ownership and finding strategic opportunities to streamline operations, such as integrating new electronic health records (EHR) or securing network infrastructures. They also underscored the importance of building strong vendor partnerships to support these initiatives, stressing that digital tools should empower caregivers and streamline operations rather than simply add layers of complexity. 

Looking ahead: Empowering the future of home and community care 

As Better Outcomes 2024 came to a close, one theme stood out: the future of home and community care lies in innovation. AlayaCare is at the forefront of driving AI-powered, data-driven, and automation-enhanced solutions that empower organizations to deliver higher-quality care at lower costs. 

Attendees left the conference energized and equipped with new strategies to apply these cutting-edge technologies to their own operations. By embracing these tools, home and community care and home infusion providers can ensure better outcomes for clients and caregivers alike.

Want to be part of the conversation next year? Sign up now to get early access for Better Outcomes 2025!