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
Marie Page, Head of Marketing at CareLineLive, sits down with Lahn Straney, Chief Scientific Officer at Evaran and MOA Benchmarking, to explore how data science and epidemiology are transforming quality in aged and social care. From the origins of MOA in Australia, now serving over 55% of aged care homes there, to what UK providers can learn from Australia’s regulatory reforms, Lahn unpacks the difference between compliance and continuous improvement, the Donabedian framework, and risk adjustment models. He also makes the case that meeting regulatory requirements is only ever the bare minimum – and explains what genuinely high-quality care actually requires beyond the tick-box.
What’s covered in this episode
- What epidemiology is – and why it matters in social care
- The origins of MOA Benchmarking in Australia and how it grew to serve 55% of aged care homes
- How risk adjustment models enable fairer comparisons of care quality across providers
- The key differences between UK and Australian care markets and what each can learn from the other
- Australia’s regulatory reforms and the lessons for UK providers
- The Donabedian framework – structure, process and outcomes explained
- The difference between compliance and continuous improvement – and why both matter
- Why meeting regulatory requirements is only ever the bare minimum
Episode timestamps
00:00 Introduction
02:00 What is epidemiology and why does it matter in social care
06:00 The origins of MOA Benchmarking in Australia
11:00 Risk adjustment models explained
16:00 UK vs Australia: how the care markets differ
22:00 Australia’s regulatory reforms and what the UK can learn
29:00 The Donabedian framework: structure, process and outcomes
36:00 Compliance vs continuous improvement
43:00 Quality assurance vs quality improvement roles
50:00 Why compliance is the bare minimum – and what outstanding care really requires
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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