Artificial intelligence tackles unwanted hospitalisations in home care 

Home care providers battling a growing administrative burden could find solace in new software that can automatically alert care staff to potential risks and help older people avoid adverse events and unwanted hospitalisations. 

Key points

• AlayaCare’s new Client Intelligence Suite uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP) & Large Language Model (LLM) technology alongside AlayaCare’s Predictive Risk Models to analyse client information and alert clinical staff of any risks
• South Australian research found that individuals receiving Home Care Packages (HCP) spent twice as many days in hospital compared to aged care residents in 2024
• Overall, the HCP cohort accounted for 43% of emergency department presentations, 40% of unplanned hospitalisations and 12% of preventable hospitalisations

With more people likely to be living at home for longer, AlayaCare ANZ General Manager Annette Hili told Hello Leaders their goal is to tap into AI innovation and support the aged care sector through proactive solutions. 

“There’s a lot of information and data being recorded every single day. Staff are putting important information into progress notes or they’re doing assessments, creating care plans, and more,” she explained.

“The biggest challenge is finding the time to review all of the pieces of data. Even information that’s on a computer, it’s easier to review but often time is something we have less of these days rather than more.

“The idea behind the Client Intelligence Suite is to proactively sweep through all of the data and recognise if a client is at risk, which includes being at risk of ending up in hospital.”

The Australian Government expects 1.4 million Australians to benefit from the incoming Support at Home program by 2035. 

This mass influx of clients will place never before seen pressure on a home care sector that’s already witnessed demand grow fourfold over the past ten years. 

“Sadly there is a big administrative component in aged care. This sector should be about the time we spend with the person, not administration,” Ms Hili added.

“Unfortunately, we’re often reactive in aged care. This is trying to shift it to being more proactive in how we gather that information and then act upon it.”

Finding time in a busy schedule

AlayaCare’s Client Intelligence Suite provides proactive insights that improve client outcomes by optimally integrating clinical notes, client data, and predictive analytics. 

This means it’s often pulling together information that can be missed when a busy staff member is skimming through notes. The technology also highlights time-sensitive information that could be the difference between someone staying at home or making an emergency department visit. 

An example could include a care worker noting that a client’s speech was slurred, their gait has changed or their blood pressure was lower than normal. 

AlayaCare’s proprietary Predictive Risk Model uses clinical and visit data sources to build a risk model for each client to enable care workers to anticipate adverse events or hospitalisations, enabling proactive intervention. 

The appropriate manager or clinician is then notified by the system and they determine the best course of care. Ms Hili said this will help improve triage time and reduce administration hours. 

“Clinicians providing support are going to get the information they need a lot quicker than if they reviewed it manually. Meanwhile, there are multiple priorities for a case manager and if anything that’s going to get worse from July 1,” Ms Hili explained.

“One of the impacted areas is the funding reduction for case management. A drop from 20% to 10% is significant and it will require a shift in practices and approach. Technology can support a more efficient way of reviewing data and the appropriate response based on what it’s telling you.”

A team of eight data scientists, researchers and developers worked for almost four years to create this well-honed solution with constant improvements taking place as clients tested the beta version of the Client Intelligence Suite. 

“It’s helped cut down on admin work and reduced the risk of human error, allowing our staff to focus more on providing quality care,” Natalie De Vos, Director of Clinical Service Innovation & Governance, Absolute Care & Health said. 

“The automatic risk warnings have made a real difference in helping us take a preventative approach, which means fewer trips to the doctor or hospital for our clients helping to enable continued independence at home. It’s exciting to see technology making such a positive impact in in-home care, and I hope it continues to benefit the wider healthcare system.”

Trusting artificial intelligence

There are concerns about AI and its reliability, hence why Ms Hili and the AlayaCare team diligently crafted a system that is secure and trustworthy. By enabling proactive intervention and supporting care delivery overall, she said the timing could not be better for home care providers. 

“Going into this next phase of aged care that comes in from July 1 with the new Aged Care Act, there will be a real focus on being outcome driven and providing person centred care,” she added. 

“The shift in the overall approach does require all providers to rethink how they operate and there’s a real need to be as effective and efficient as you possibly can. Technology can play a role in that. 

“It doesn’t negate the importance of the human beings in this space, it’s just helping them get time back to do what it is that’s most important.”