The Business of Care Podcast | Guest: Lahn Straney, Chief Scientific Officer, Evaran and MOA Benchmarking | Host: Marie Page, Head of Marketing, CareLineLive
About this episode
As AI dominates the agenda across the care sector, Lahn Straney joins Marie Page to give a grounded, scientific perspective on where it genuinely adds value – and where it doesn’t. They discuss the distinction between large language models and more traditional machine learning approaches, and why applying the wrong tool to a problem is costing the sector more than people realise. They explore how Evaran is bringing CareLineLive, MOA Benchmarking and eCase together under one native platform, what that means for data interoperability and care records. They also cover what the AKKR investment has unlocked for the three businesses, and what the shift towards a unified data layer really means for providers trying to understand risk across their client base. Lahn also makes a bold claim: the predictive models Evaran is building are outperforming anything currently in academic literature.
What’s covered in this episode
- Why AI in care sometimes feels like ‘a sledgehammer looking for a nail’, and where it genuinely adds value
- The distinction between large language models and traditional machine learning, and why it matters for care
- How MOA is already using AI within its platform in two specific, carefully considered ways
- Why ‘black box’ analytics are a problem in care – and what responsible AI adoption looks like
- How Evaran is bringing CareLineLive, MOA Benchmarking and eCase together as one native platform
- What data interoperability really means for providers – and what becomes possible when care record data connects
- The AKKR investment: what it has unlocked and what makes this approach different to typical private equity
- A bold claim: the predictive models Evaran is building are outperforming anything currently in academic literature
- AI phone agents for resident and client feedback – and early evidence on empathy in survey settings
- What existing customers of CareLineLive, MOA and eCase should expect from Evaran
Episode timestamps
00:00 Introduction
01:00 What’s happening with AI in care right now
04:00 How to critique the use of AI in the sector
06:00 Where AI genuinely adds value – and what responsible adoption looks like
07:00 How MOA is using AI within the platform today
09:00 Evaran’s plan for AI across the three platforms
10:00 What Evaran means for existing customers of CareLineLive, MOA and eCase
12:00 Integration plans – moving towards one native platform
14:00 How becoming Evaran has impacted the three businesses
16:30 The AKKR investment – a different kind of private equity
18:20 What Evaran will deliver for care providers
20:00 Challenges facing care software providers right now
22:37 The eCase platform and the shift to cross-sectional data
24:10 What existing customers of MOA, CareLineLive and eCase should expect
25:25 Why CareLineLive customers should take on MOA
26:25 MOA for customers outside England and Wales
27:25 Scotland and the Care Inspectorate
About Associate Professor Lahn Straney
Associate Professor Lahn Straney is an epidemiologist and Chief Scientific Officer at Evaran, leading the development of data and analytics across MOA Benchmarking, CareLineLive and eCase (Health Metrics). His work centres on the design of quality indicators, risk adjustment and real-time approaches to monitoring variation and risk in care settings, with a focus on moving beyond retrospective reporting towards genuinely responsive decision-support tools.
Lahn holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Queensland and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Washington. He currently holds adjunct academic appointments at Monash University and the University of Leeds, and has co-authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications. He is a regular speaker on the practical use of data in care, working with providers and governments on the evolution of quality measurement and reporting.
About MOA Benchmarking
MOA Benchmarking is a quality improvement platform built for adult social care providers across care homes, domiciliary care and supported living. Its modules cover audits, surveys, quality indicators, continuous improvement planning, incident management and feedback – replacing fragmented compliance tools with integrated, real-time insight aligned to CQC and CIW as well as Australian regulatory standards.
Now part of the Evaran group alongside CareLineLive and Health Metrics, MOA gives care providers the connected intelligence to move from reactive compliance to proactive, continuously improving care.
moabenchmarking.co.uk
About Evaran
Evaran is a global group of care technology companies united by a single purpose: enabling the sustainable delivery of high-quality care. Bringing together CareLineLive, MOA Benchmarking and Health Metrics, Evaran supports over 1,100 care providers and 170,000 care recipients across seven countries, with a focus in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Evaran’s platforms span home care, residential aged care, disability services and retirement living – giving care organisations the connected intelligence to deliver better care, at scale.
evaran.com
The Business of Care is a podcast for people working at the intersection of technology, quality and leadership in health and social care. Hosted by Marie Page, Head of Marketing at CareLineLive, each episode brings together experts and innovators to explore what it really takes to deliver outstanding care.
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