VA Updates Community Cares Contracts

by | Jan 23, 2026 | Admin, CMS, Regulatory

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

VA Issues RFP

Updates to Community Care Contracts

Some Veterans receive care from VA providers. Non-VA providers can still provide care for Veterans through a Community Care contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In late 2025, the VA released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for new CC contracts. The new contracts are designed to substantively change non-VA provider care to Veterans.

According to the VA, the new contracts are intended to:

  • Increase choice through an IDIQ model that allows multiple health plans to compete to serve Veterans
  • Raise quality of care by requiring plans to follow broad standards of care adopted by major health systems
  • Improve oversight and quality of care using better data, technology, and real-time management
  • Add flexibility so the VA can issue competitive task orders and remove underperforming contractors

How Does This Impact Care at Home?

The primary contractor, and therefore the ones responsible for bidding and ensuring quality of care are the health plans. So, how does this change impact home care and home health providers? Here’s how:

  • Fast changes in network participation along with sudden shifts will inevitably come as a result of plans competing and task orders changing
  • Plans will need to align with VA targets, so expect waves of onboarding, recurring pushes for credentialing, and increased local networking
  • Because the plans will be held to quality standards, you can expect that those standards will flow through provider documentation, timeliness, claims accuracy, and EVV and FWA compliance
  • IDIQ is specifically designed to allow changes in the middle of care, which means the VA and health plans can add or change rules or portal, and make revisions to edit sets during the contract

Get Ahead of the Changes

Plan to make some changes before these new Community Care contracts come to your local health plans. In order to comply with the contract requirements, your credentialing packets need to be updated to include up-to-date CAQH, insurance, licenses, and compliance. This will help minimize the lag-time before getting paid.

Anticipate Expectations

The health plans will be competing for contracts, so they will expect you to compete as well. Awarded contracts will likely be fulfilled by agencies who have a high clean claim rate and quick response to edits and denials. Whatever you are using for coding, documentation, and rules need to be validated before the new care contracts start. Complete documentation will comply with the VAs focus on better data and real-time management. Make sure your team is executing precise reports; centralize your records, documentation, and audits to prove performance records and decrease issue resolution time.

Get Ahead of the changes

Final Thoughts

Non-VA providers who want to be considered to provide care to Veterans need to show alignment with the VA’s goals to expand choice, raise quality, and increase oversight. Planning ahead by meeting those standards early will make the transition process smoother one the new contracts roll out. We will continue to provide resources and information on these Community Care contracts as they are available.

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

Home Care 100 Sneak Preview

by | Jan 23, 2026 | Advocacy, Artificial Intelligence, Events, Partner News, Regulatory

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

Home Care 100 Sneak Preview

An Interview with Jeanette Lynn

In a few days, care at home leaders, influencers, educators, and solutions providers are set to descend on Scottsdale, AZ for the 2026 winter edition of the Home Care 100 Leadership Conference. I had the opportunity to speak with Managing Director Jeanette Lynn about this year’s theme, some of the events, and her outlook for 2026.

Home Care 100 Theme

The Rowan Report:

Jeanette, thank you for taking some time to chat today. I know how busy the week before an event is. Can you tell our readers about some of the agenda highlights for Home Care 100?

Jeanette Lynn:

The theme is the data imperative. The future will rely on becoming a data-centric organization. 

“We impact patients, partners, referral sources, payers, policy makers, and all stakeholders. We have to come to the table with the right data in the right way.”

Jeanette Lynn

Managing Director, Home Care 100

I’m very excited about the keynote address from a former employee of Pixar talking about storytelling. When we’re talking with policymakers, providers, payers, we have to tell a story and find the connection with the audience. There is also an opportunity to do a follow-up workshop with him.

Other Key Topics and Sessions

Other sessions to anticipate next week:

  • Panels of providers sharing case studies
  • Six round-table facilitated discussions that are specific to home care, home health, or hospice. Those topics are listed on the event website
  • A showcase on new approaches to being a CEO of a data-driven organization including tangible and practical takeaways on how to do it. Where is the data? Where can I find it and how do I use it?

State of the Industry

RR:

What is your industry outlook?

Jeanette

There is so much that is changing so fast. Look at the conversations around AI technology just in the last year or so. The technology is opening doors that didn’t previously exist. I’m reminded of what I recently heard from Judy Faulkner from EPIC. This is a company that has been ridiculed for some time for having closed systems, following regulations but sharing information as limited as possible; it has taken them awhile to be more patient and physician-friendly. A recent announcement said patients could now access all medical information in one MyChart system across the country.

This will shift interoperability – from patients to nurses to agencies. The demand to fix this is getting higher; we’ve been sitting on the excuse of not being able to influence reimbursement rates; but MA coming out and saying the rates are going to get lower requires that we increase efficiency and the data will help get you there.

One Answer is Interoperability

When you order food online, that company can tell you that Kathy picked up your food at 7:03 p.m., is riding a bicycle, has two stops before she gets to you, and show you the route she’s taking. We can certainly provide more information, more data, and better data for our patients.

We have to supplement existing Medicare product with other services, other approaches, that get the financial lever pulled a different way. The product is too defined, coded, and reimbursed; we need a bundled care product. It’s time everyone else sees that we have more data, information, and influence.

Home Care 100 Jeanette Lynn Interoperability

There are multiple opportunities and pathways. Our goal is to guide our members toward the ones that will work for each organization.

The Year Ahead

RR:

You’ve been at the helm long enough now that you’ve had a chance to get your feet wet. What have been your observations and what does that mean for Home Care 100 and Lincoln Healthcare Leadership for 2026?

Jeanette:

My biggest observations at Home Care 100 and Lincoln Healthcare Leadership: HC100 is a group of diverse leaders who can drive and influence change; there will be continued consolidation and the big players influence everyone else.

For me, the biggest win is after the conference hearing that one of our members initiated a new program, new deal, new partnership. We want that on steroids. We want to exponentially expand those wins.

The Intelligence group pairs advisors with intelligence group members to figure out how to put into action what you learned at the conference. We align experts to supercharge members. So we’ve relaunched the Intelligence Group as an offering year-round.

The subsets of members in the intelligence group are doing smaller in-person meetings covering particular topics. We’re looking for more organizations joining the group and expanding those events, not hosting more HC 100 events.

Final Thoughts

Speaking with Jeanette, it was so easy to see her passion and excitement for the industry, for the upcoming event, and for the members who benefit from the event. I am looking forward to the sessions she mentioned, seeing old friends and making new ones, and, of course, a little dancing and revelry after the hard work is done. 

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

Overtime Law Changes: An Interview with Angelo Spinola

by | Jan 23, 2026 | Admin, Legal

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

Overtime Law Changes

An Interview with Angelo Spinola

Recent Department of Labor (DOL) changes to the overtime law appear to be at odds with a court ruling. Last week, The Rowan Report reported on Pennsylvania’s 3rd circuit court decision allowing the DOL to interpret meaning and create the rule that 3rd party employers cannot use the exemption to overtime rule. They must pay overtime according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The decision is in direct opposition to the DOLs intent to revert back to allowing the exemption and to its statement that it will no longer uphold the rule. The Rowan Report reached out to care at home attorney Angelo Spinola to get his take on the Pennsylvania court’s decision and how it impacts care at home.

Prior Statements

Angelo was a presenter at last year’s National Alliance for Care at Home (The Alliance) annual meeting, during which he discussed the DOL proposal to change the FLSA. In his remarks, Spinola emphasized that the exemption change is huge for home care. He also provided some specific examples showing how the change will benefit caregivers.

From the DOL

Overtime law changes, according to the DOL, will:

  • Reduce labor costs
  • Provide greater scheduling flexibility
  • Expand access to home care services
  • Reduce overhead for agencies

In Practice

Angelo added additional context from a real-world perspective.

First, you can still pay overtime. Payroll policies of any agency with an overtime program in place will supercede the DOL rule. However, those policies need to be written and part of your contractual agreement with the caregiver.

Secondly, some states have their own overtime laws, which also override the FLSA. Not every state will be impacted by the change.

Additionally, removing the overtime requirement brings back day rates instead of hourly pay, which can be beneficial for caregivers and patients. This reinstatement also impacts bonus payments. Currently, gift cards, bonuses, on-call premiums, and similar incentives are incorporated into rates for overtime. Without the exemption, agencies can bring back bonuses designed to encourage longevity, productivity, or other behaviors, and those incentives will not be subject to overtime rules.

The practical reality is, with overtime rules in place, many agencies will not allow caregivers to work more than 40 hours. Thus, patients end up with more unique caregivers, which leads to less continuity of care. The other consequence is that caregivers seek to make up those hours at other agencies or by taking on another part time job. Without the exemption, caregivers can work more hours, the patient gets fewer unique caregivers and benefits from improved continuity of care. Scheduling is less complicated without having to consider the part-time job.

In His Own Words

With the DOL proposal still undecided and its potential conflict with the recent Pennsylvania court decision, we sat down with Angelo to get his take on the decisions and the impact both would have on home care.

The Rowan Report:

Angelo, thank you for joining us today. I appreciate you taking the time to talk about the overtime rules. With the DOL no longer enforcing the rule as it stands and the Pennsylvania court case upholding it, we want to make sure we are relaying the right information and that our readers are following the right recommendations.

Overtime Rule Changes interview Angelo Spinola

Angelo:

It definitely seems like it’s two different views on the same issue, and I think we will see that for a while, until and unless the Department of Labor actually issues new regulations and interpretations. They have alluded that they are going to do that, maybe by simply not enforcing the rule. Still, at the end of the day, it is the current rule, there is the requirement to pay overtime.

RR:

Can you speak to the PA decision, then, as it relates to that?

RR:

Can you speak to the PA decision, then, as it relates to that?

RR:

Does this case have any impact, then, on the DOL reverting back to pre-2013 when 3rd party agencies could take the exemption?

wAngelo:

If this court is taking the position that the DOL can decide, then that should not impact the DOL’s next subsequent decision to decide again that third parties can use the exemption.

Remember, this is just a Court of Appeals decision, and the court itself says that it is not precedential. What I wonder is, what happens now if the Department of Labor in the future decides that they no longer think that agencies should use these exemptions? Does this pave the way for that kind of future action? Prior to this case, the Chevron deference probably would apply, because the authority all points to the ability for third parties to be able to use the exemption.

When you look at when the exemptions were applied to the FLSA, there was no limitation of who could use them. The limitation was about what kind of work the employee performed, who they performed it for. If it was assistance with ADLs and IADLs in a personal home, then you could rely on the exemptions.

Then came the efforts to limit those exemptions over several years, via Congress and a Supreme Court challenge. In the Koch decision, in the early 2000s, the Supreme Court said, “Third-party employers can rely on the exemption, because there is nothing in the language that suggests they cannot.”

In response, the DOL took it in their own hands and changed it, before there was a limitation from the Chevron deference. Now they want to change it back. I think that is where the weight of authority is, so I think they will be able to survive any deference challenge.

I think this case actually supports that argument: “We get to decide what we want to do. Look at what Pennsylvania said.” Nevertheless, I still believe it’s going to be a challenge for the DOL to flip it back again. They will have to go through all that history of what Congress had said, and what the Supreme Court said. Still, this decision certainly helps any future administration, should they choose to flip things back to the way they sit today. All this assumes that the DOL does, in fact, change it, which I think they will.

Overtime Law Changes divides care at home industry

A House Divided

RR:

There is a portion of the home care industry that wants the exemption to stay as it is, and another that says, no, it needs to go back to the way it was. I wonder if that is in any way going to impact whether or not the Department of Labor in this administration moves forward, or maybe pauses on changing that language.

Angelo:

I think there’s a growing understanding of what the reinstatement of the exemptions would mean. There is a narrative that it must mean that caregivers will lose their right to overtime pay, and will therefore be compensated unfairly, meaning less. Agencies are coming around to understanding that isn’t going to happen, because the market will not allow it to happen. This explains why caregiver rates have increased in recent years. They will go work somewhere else if you don’t compensate them fairly. So, the nature of the compensation is likely to change. It may look more like bonuses, or incentives, or things that you would do for exempt employees.

RR:

I want to make sure I am presenting this correctly here. When this changes, will it open up some possibilities in home care? If a family is paying for 10 or 12 hours per day, paying for overtime makes a huge difference and they would likely opt for fewer hours or a second caregiver. But, with the exemption, you have fewer caregivers on one case, better continuity of care, and possibly more care hours.

Angelo:

That is exactly right. What agencies do now is they often limit the caregiver to 40 hours, and then that caregiver has to go find a job at a second agency if they want to work 70 or 80 hours. In that scenario, caregivers bounce around multiple clients, who have to utilize multiple caregivers, especially if they require a lot of hours. A lot of those clients have memory issues and a vulnerable immune system. On top of mental confusion issues, the more exposure you have to different people, the more unique bacteria and germs come into the house, the more at risk you are.

You can see how much better it is, on several levels, for a caregiver to work many hours with one client. That is usually the client’s preference anyway. 

RR:

You said you think it’s pretty certain at this point that the Department of Labor is going to change that ruling back to the 1974 version. Do you anticipate lawsuits against that change?

Angelo:

I think we’re probably going to. It’s such a big deal, I would expect to see something. I would think that the advocacy groups and the unions are already likely prepared for that. When the change in 2013 was announced, the industry rallied, and we were prepared to file. So, it would not shock me in any way, if that same response returned.

RR:

I appreciate your time and helping all of the industry understand these sometimes very confusing changes in labor laws. I anticipate that once the Department of Labor makes their final decision, we’ll be back in touch to talk again about what it means, when it will be enforced, and what any pending lawsuits will have to say about it. We’ll keep everybody abreast of what these changes are going to mean for the industry.

Angelo:

Yeah, this will be one to track for sure. We are going be tracking this for the next 12 months at least.

RR:

I think for the industry and for the agencies that we talk to, the most important thing is following the law as it stands, regardless of what it is. What do they need to follow right now? What is the date on which they need to change what they’re doing, and whether or not a rule change gets overturned in another court case. They want to be in compliance, and we want to ensure what we report helps our readers to do just that.

Today, the overtime rule is in effect and agencies are required to pay overtime. That will continue to be true until the Department of Labor actually implements this change they’re talking about, regardless of what anybody else is saying.

Angelo:

That’s right. The only thing that really has changed right now is that the Department of Labor themselves are not enforcing the 2013 rule per the field assistance bulletin that went out, but that has no impact on private litigation.

RR:

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk, and I’m sure I’ll see you next week.

Angelo:

Absolutely, I’ll see you at Home Care 100.

# # #

With two decades of legal experience, Angelo Spinola’s practice focuses on employment litigation with a special interest in the home health, home care and hospice industry. Bringing a wide breadth of knowledge across the health care spectrum, he works with an array of home-based care clients, including Fortune 500 organizations and franchisors, small businesses, and franchisees across multiple industries. Additionally, Angelo works closely with private equity firms and investment groups with respect to labor and employment issues that may arise during acquisitions and activities in these sectors.

Overtime Law Changes Angelo Spinola
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

Purpose Built AI: Architecture, Scalability, Security

by | Jan 23, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence

by Isaac Greszes, Eleos

Purpose-Built AI for Care at Home

Architecture, Scalability, and Security

In part one of this 4-part series, we discussed how care at home agencies can realize the full impact of AI software that goes beyond the testing period. The best way to do this is to find purpose-built tech and evaluate AI solutions for real-world outcomes.

Part two focuses on AI architecture, scalability and security.

Architecture and Scalability Across the Tech Ecosystem

AI does not operate in isolation. It sits within a broader ecosystem of EHRs, compliance programs, quality initiatives, and IT infrastructure.
For care-at-home organizations, long-term outcomes depend on whether an AI platform can:

  • Adapt to evolving documentation and regulatory requirements
  • Scale reliably during census fluctuations
  • Integrate cleanly with existing systems
  • Improve over time without creating operational drag

Health informatics research increasingly highlights risks such as model drift — where AI performance degrades as populations, workflows, or clinical practices change — reinforcing the need for continuous monitoring rather than one-time deployment.

purpose-built AI architecture and scalability

Vendors with limited clinical depth or brittle configurations may show early promise in pilots, but often struggle to sustain efficiency and ROI at scale.

Security, Governance

and the Link to Long-Term Value

HIPAA compliance remains foundational, but AI introduces additional governance considerations related to transparency, accountability, fairness, and ongoing risk management.

Healthcare organizations increasingly evaluate AI vendors based on:

  • Independent security and privacy assessments
  • Clear contractual boundaries around data use
  • Explicit retention and deletion policies
  • Documented processes for monitoring AI behavior over time

Expectations

Recent federal regulation, including the ONC’s HTI-1 Final Rule, formalizes new transparency and risk-management expectations for AI-enabled clinical systems — extending well beyond traditional privacy frameworks.

Emerging standards such as ISO 42001, focused on AI management systems, reflect a broader shift toward formal governance of AI in high-risk domains like healthcare. While adoption is still evolving, these frameworks provide executives with a useful lens for assessing vendor maturity.

Strong governance is not only a risk-mitigation strategy — it is a prerequisite for sustaining outcomes, protecting organizational reputation, and maintaining provider trust.

A Practical Takeaway

AI has demonstrated the potential to reduce administrative burden, improve documentation quality, and deliver measurable ROI in healthcare — including regulated, care at home settings.

However, results are not guaranteed. They depend on evidence-backed design, workflow alignment, scalability, and governance discipline.

For care-at-home leaders, the most reliable path to value is not adopting AI quickly, but evaluating it rigorously — with a focus on how the technology is built, validated, and governed.

For organizations navigating pilot fatigue, the critical shift is not testing more tools, but selecting platforms designed for scale, governance, and long-term operational impact.

# # #

This is part 2 of a 4-part series. Read part 1 and come back next week for part 3, “From Evaluation to Execution.”

About Eleos

At Eleos, we believe the path to better healthcare is paved with provider-focused technology. Our purpose-built AI platform streamlines documentation, simplifies compliance and surfaces deep care insights to drive better client outcomes. Created using real-world care sessions and fine-tuned by our in-house clinical experts, our AI tools are scientifically proven to reduce documentation time by more than 70% and boost client engagement by 2x. With Eleos, providers are free to focus less on administrative tasks and more on what got them into this field in the first place: caring for their clients.

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

LeadingAge and Alliance Join Dr. Oz

by | Jan 15, 2026 | CMS, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Regulatory

LeadingAge and Alliance Join Dr. Oz

CMS hosts listening session in LA

On January 9, 2026, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz hosted a listening session in Los Angeles to discuss fraud, waste, and abuse in home health and hospice. Dr. Oz was joined by CMS Director of the Center for Program Integrity Kim Brandt and Director of the Center for Medicare Chris Klomp.

Statement to Dr. Oz

Representatives from both LeadingAge and the National Alliance for Care at Home attended the session. As part of their ongoing collaboration and participation in combatting fraud, waste, and abuse, the two organizations sent a joint letter to Dr. Oz regarding recommendations to strengthen program integrity.

“We strongly support CMS’s ongoing efforts to strengthen program integrity and believe that fraud, waste, and abuse can be effectively prevented and addressed while reducing burden on legitimate providers furnishing critical services in the home. As CMS continues to refine its oversight strategies, we encourage the agency to adopt measures that are analytically rigorous, operationally feasible, and take a targeted risk-based approach, consistent with CMS’s statutory authorities.” 

LeadingAge and the Alliance

CMS Fraud Prevention

CMS has identified areas of waste fraud and abuse they are actively working to combat. In 2025, CMS imposed nearly 500 payment suspension, stopping nearly $5 billion in payments. CMS identified $2.3 billion in overpayments and implemented automated edits to guard against improper payment. They also revoked Medicare billing from 4,780 providers and denied almost 112,000 claims for unnecessary services.

The Alliance

Members of National Alliance for Care at Home (The Alliance) attended the listening session with Dr. OZ, stating that program integrity is a key priority for the organization. The alliance continues to work closely with lawmakers and regulators to ensure providers are putting patients’ needs first without unnecessary or fraudulent claims.

“The Alliance appreciates the opportunity to continue our dialogue with CMS about ensuring program integrity across these essential home-based services. We share the administration’s goal of eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse in home health and hospice care, and will continue to partner with the agency as it pursues solutions that reduce the burden on legitimate providers and protect patient access to care at home.” 

Dr. Steve Landers

President, The Alliance

LeadingAge

Members from LeadingAge also attended the listening session stating that fraud in any care setting is concerning and preventable. The organization continues to work with CMS to address fraud and strengthen regulatory safeguards.

“We thank CMS for initiating this productive meeting, and for the input from Administrator Oz, Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer Kim Brandt, and Deputy Administrator and Director of Medicare Chris Klomp. We look forward to continuing collaboration on this important issue.”

Katie Smith Sloan

President and CEO, LeadingAge

Interview with LeadingAge

The Rowan Report reached out to LeadingAge for a comment on the listening session with CMS. We are scheduled to speak with Mollie Gurian, VP of Policy and Government Affairs, this afternoon. We will update this article with that information immediately following the interview.

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

Purpose-Built AI for Care at Home

by | Jan 15, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence, Home Health, Hospice, Outcomes

by Isaac Greszes, Eleos

Purpose-Built AI for Care at Home

How Care at Home leaders can move beyond AI pilots

Care at Home is increasingly turning to AI to address documentation burden, clinician burnout, and regulatory pressure. While AI has the potential to address these issues and more, practical results remain uneven, leaving agencies with a lot of experimentation, but little clarity on actual value.

Evaluating AI solutions should focus on real-world outcomes, how the solution fits into your existing workflow, whether the software is scalable, and how it handles changing regulations. You should also look for AI solutions that are built for care at home (purpose-built). This series of articles will help you make informed, risk-aware decisions about AI adoption.

AI is Coming Fast

Home health and hospice leaders are navigating a difficult balance: persistent workforce shortages, rising provider burnout, expanding documentation requirements, and increasing regulatory scrutiny — all within thin operating margins.

At the same time, AI has moved quickly from experimental to strategic. Many organizations are now evaluating AI not just for productivity, but for operational and administrative efficiency, clinician experience, compliance readiness, and financial performance.

And the stakes are high

Early results across the market have been inconsistent. Some organizations report meaningful reductions in administrative burden and a clear return on investment. However, others struggle to find value after adoption. The difference often lies not in whether AI was adopted, but how it was designed, supported, and governed.

The pilot problem

As AI adoption accelerates, many organizations find themselves caught in extended pilot cycles — testing multiple tools without committing to the operational changes required for scale. While pilots can validate technical feasibility, they rarely provide the consistency or measurement discipline needed to demonstrate sustained ROI in regulated care at home environments.

Quality over Quantity

Why the right evidence matters

In today’s AI market, product demonstrations are easy to produce. Documented outcomes are not.

Executive leaders should expect vendors to demonstrate real-world impact, supported by customer data, third-party validation, or peer-reviewed research. Credible AI partners should be able to explain how their results translate to care at home — and where limitations exist. The challenge is not the lack of information from pilots, but the lack of evidence those pilots results can be reproduced, measured, and sustained, in a care at home setting.

Purpose-built AI Eleos

Objective Evidence that Matters

When evaluating AI platforms, leaders should look for evidence related to:

  • Documentation efficiency, such as reduced time per visit or faster note completion
  • Operational ROI, including quicker billing readiness or reduced rework
  • Compliance support, such as documentation completeness or audit preparedness
  • Provider experience, including reduced perceived administrative burden
  • Care outcomes, including patient engagement and satisfaction

AI solutions can impact efficiency and burnout. But, these outcomes are highly dependent on whether the solution was built for care at home, the quality of implementation, how easily it will integrate into your workflow, and governance. If a vendor cannot explain how results were achieved and whether they are reliable and repeatable outside the pilot, the vendor and the solution should be evaluated carefully.

General Purpose AI

And inconsistent results

Many AI tools marketed to healthcare organizations rely on general-purpose language models designed for tasks like summarization, chat, or content generation — not for producing structured clinical notes aligned to regulatory and reimbursement requirements.

Home health and hospice documentation often includes:

  • Clinical observations made in non-clinical environments
  • Structured requirements tied to reimbursement and regulation
  • Risk-sensitive language related to safety, decline, or end-of-life care
  • Significant variation across disciplines, visit types, and patient contexts

Where generic AI breaks down

In these settings, AI tools based on general-purpose language models introduce risks related to accuracy, hallucinations, bias, privacy, and workflow fit — because they were not designed to operate within structured clinical, regulatory, and reimbursement frameworks.

In practice, organizations report that the additional oversight required to validate or correct AI-generated output can reduce — or even negate — anticipated efficiency gains, limiting adoption and ROI. As a result, organizations often remain stuck in pilot mode — investing time and effort in validation without achieving the scale or consistency required for meaningful return.

The right question

When evaluating an AI solution, the right question is not whether the AI tool can record a conversation and translate it into notes or whether the tool can reduce documentation, but whether it can consistently support high-quality clinical documentation at scale without increading burden or creating compliance risks.

Purpose-Built AI

What it means and why it drives operational impact

In care at home environments, purpose-built AI should be evaluated less as a point solution and more as foundational infrastructure — one designed to support regulated clinical workflows consistently over time.

Many AI platforms label themselves as “purpose-built,” but leaders must look past marketing language to truly scrutinize the way the technology is designed and deployed. In regulated clinical environments, purpose-built AI typically incorporates:

  • Domain-specific clinical intelligence, informed by real documentation patterns
  • Provider involvement in defining structure, logic, and validation criteria
  • Structured outputs aligned to required note components, in addition to free-text summaries
  • Grounding mechanisms that reduce fabricated or misattributed content
  • Privacy-conscious data handling, with explicit limits on data retention and reuse
Purpose-built AI

Research consistently shows that providers prefer AI systems that function as collaborative tools — preserving human oversight while reducing administrative load — rather than fully automated systems that completely bypass clinical judgment. These characteristics directly affect whether AI improves documentation time, supports compliance workflows, and earns provider trust — all prerequisites for driving ROI.
These design choices are what allow AI systems to move beyond experimentation and begin delivering durable efficiency, compliance support, and clinician adoption at scale.

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This article is part 1 in a 4-part series. Come back next week for “Scalability, Security, and Governance.”

About Eleos

At Eleos, we believe the path to better healthcare is paved with provider-focused technology. Our purpose-built AI platform streamlines documentation, simplifies compliance and surfaces deep care insights to drive better client outcomes. Created using real-world care sessions and fine-tuned by our in-house clinical experts, our AI tools are scientifically proven to reduce documentation time by more than 70% and boost client engagement by 2x. With Eleos, providers are free to focus less on administrative tasks and more on what got them into this field in the first place: caring for their clients.

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

Death of ALF Resident

by | Jan 15, 2026 | Admin, Clinical, Legal

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

Death of ALF Resident Forces Sale

5-year care ban

The 2024 death of assisted living facility (ALF) resident forces the sale of the facility by its owners and imposes a 5-year ban on the care of vulnerable adults. The owners of Brookhaven on 131st Assist Living, Levi and Holly Walker, were accused of wrongful death by the family Robert Pollmann. The Attorney General later joined case, adding neglect and consumer fraud to the charges.

Unattended and Unnoticed

85-year-old Pollmann, who suffered from dementia, was a resident of Brookhaven. His family sought a facility for his care because his dementia had made him an increased flight risk. Brookhaven assured the family they could care for Pollmann and handle the flight risk. Despite those reassurances, in June of 2024, Pollmann wandered out the door of the facility alone and his departure went unnoticed for 40 minutes. Pollmann was found 1/4 mile from the facility two days later dead from heat exposure. Search efforts were unsuccessful due in part to the extreme heat rendering thermal imaging ineffective. 

Warning Bells

Arizona law requires ALFs to have door alarms. These alarms are the first warning and best defense against residents wandering and leaving the facility. According to prosecutors, the facility doors had alarms installed, but they were not functioning for at least six months prior to the incident and for at least a month after.

Learning Experience

In addition to the 5-year ban, the Walkers have to notify the AZ Attorney General if they ever apply to run a care home or provide care after that. The Pollmann family said in a statement that they hope their case will lead to stronger regulations and better enforcement to protect facility residents.

Death of ALF Resident forces sale

Final Thoughts

Aging in place is more comfortable for our loved ones, has a lower risk of infection and disease, lowers instances of delirium, and reduces hospitalization risk. Unfortunately, it is not always possible or advisable to keep a loved one at home when the dangers are high. When assisted living facilities become the better option, strong regulations and safeguards to ensure our most vulnerable populations are in the best hands are imperative. 

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Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

UnitedHealth Causes Heightened Alarm

by | Jan 9, 2026 | Breaking News, CMS, Legal, Medicare Advantage, Outcomes, Regulatory

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

UnitedHealth Causes Heightened Alarm

Guardian Investigation Launches Probe

In July of 2025, The Guardian reported that UnitedHealth had secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers. The investigation revealed that UnitedHealth was placing its own medical teams inside nursing homes and pushing them to cut care expenses, delay transfers, and deny care.

Senators Push for Answers

In the weeks following The Guardian report, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) launched their own investigation of the insurance giant’s cost cutting measures in nursing homes. Wyden and Warren sent a letter to then UnitedHealth Group leaders requesting documents and information about the nursing home incentive program.

New Allegations

A new letter from Senators Wyden and Warren states that UHG has refused to comply with the initial request. In the months since the demand for information, UHG has provided only “brief and unsubstantial answers” to their questions.

“Because you have failed to respond adequately to our inquiry – and in light of additional recent reporting – we are renewing our inquiry with heightened alarm.”

Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren

United States Senators

Additional Reports

The Senators’s letter alludes to recent additional reports. They were referring to a December story, also from The Guardian, reporting allegations of wrongful deaths inside the nursing home care program. In a statement, UnitedHealth denied any allegations their practices “endanger patient safety or violate ethical standards.”

No Response is a Response

When asked about the second letter, UnitedHealth Group did not respond to reporters at The Guardian. UHG leadership said in statement that they would “continue to engage” with the senators. The company’s leadership also maintains that its nursing home program “improves outcomes” and “reduces unnecessary hospitalizations.”

Unanswered Questions

UnitedHealth attended a briefing with the senators’ offices last July. During that meeting, UnitedHealth made several claims the Senators are now questioning.

  • UHG maintained their nurses are not required to contact company representatives prior to taking a nursing home patient to the hospital, but a document provided by a whistleblower alleges the opposite 
  • UHG failed to adequately explain why hospital admission rates are part of the metrics for determining bonuses
  • UHG chose not to respond to questions about pending wrongful death lawsuits for Mary Grant,  Cindy Deal, and an unnamed nursing home resident in New York

Deadline to Comply

Senators Wyden and Warren allege that UnitedHealth Group has withheld internal documents that directly relate to their initial request for information. The senators gave a deadline of January 28, 2026 to respond with the following information:

  • Hospitalization policies, including clinical protocols for determining when transfers are warranted, definitions of avoidable versus unavoidable hospitalizations, and whether staff must consult Optum supervisors before hospital transfers.
  • Bonus program metrics and thresholds, including how UnitedHealth determines APK limits, whether facilities are penalized for exceeding thresholds, and five years of documentation on bonus payments to nursing homes.
  • Advance directive policies, including training materials for end-of-life conversations, the mortality risk assessment tool used, and who participates in those discussions with residents.
  • Marketing and enrollment practices for I-SNP plans at contracted nursing homes.
  • Federal oversight and compliance, including any CMS sanctions or enforcement actions in the past five years.
Wyden Warren UnitedHealth Group Heightened Alarm

Failure to Respond

Without adding details, the letter states that should UnitedHealth Group fail to respond it full, they will seek answers to their questions using “all tools at the Committee’s disposal.”

This is an ongoing inquiry/investigation and story. The Rowan Report will continue to provide updates as they become available.

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

LEAD Replaces REACH

by | Jan 9, 2026 | CMS, Hospice

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

LEAD Replaces REACH

CMS Launches 10-Year Model Test

LEAD replaces REACH in new 10-year CMS model. The Long-term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD) model is scheduled to launched at the end of 2026, following the end of ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health  (REACH). LEAD is a voluntary model that will run January 1, 2027 thorugh December 31, 2036, the longest CMS has ever run a test.

Key Takeaways

CMS provides the following information:

  • Problem: Many health care providers have not historically participated in or dropped out of ACOs because of financial and administrative obstacles to success.
  • Solution: LEAD is designed to address such barriers to support both established and newly created ACOs by providing them enhanced, flexible cash flow payments; and greater freedom and tools to support spending time with and meeting patient needs, including those with specialized care needs.
  • Outcomes: Through ACOs, health care providers will be empowered to deliver coordinated, accountable care and preventive services — keeping patients healthier and helping to reduce health care costs and unnecessary emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
  • Strategy: LEAD advances the Innovation Center’s commitment to 1) building opportunities for independent health care providers and practices to be rewarded for delivering better care, 2) promoting and empowering patient choice in both coverage and sites of care, and 3) making it easier for health care providers and patients to engage in preventive care that supports healthier living.

LEAD Goals

According to CMS, the LEAD Model will improve care coordination among a broad range of healthcare providers, including hospices. The model will also appeal to providers with specialized patients and those who are newer to ACOs like small, independent, or rural-based practices. The LEAD model intends to incentivize providers downstream such as home health agencies, palliative care, and hospices, to engage with the providers upstream. It is particularly aimed at complex patients with high needs.

CMS has outlined a 3-part framework for its goals:

  • Increase the scope of ACOs to include rural, small, and independent providers and health centers
  • Enhance evidence-based prevention and care coordination for more patients
  • Empower patient choice and encourage patient participation in care

Planning Phase

The LEAD Model will begin its planning stage in March of 2026 and run through December of 2027. During that time, CMS will identify two states to partner with for developing the framework for Medicaid partnerships. The framework will include how ACOs and Medicaid organizations can share data and coordinate care.

CARA

Among the more prominent changes in the LEAD Model is the CMS Administered Risk Arrangements (CARA). CMS will assist LEAD ACOs in designing episode-based risk payment arrangments with other health care providers. According to CMS, CARA will facilitate stronger preferred provider relationships. Building these strong care networks and partnerships between ACOs and hospice and palliative care providers will improve care for high-needs patients. 

Hospice and palliative care organizations will need to demonstrate partnership value to ACO organizations by supporting smooth care transitions, reducing unnecessary hospitalizations, and ensuring patients receive the right care at the right time, according to a statement from The Alliance.

Final Thoughts

This new model may provide some opportunities for hospice agencies. It may also pave the way for a reimbursement model for palliative care. Although the statements from CMS focus on hospice and palliative care, there may be opportunities for home health agencies as well. These opportunities may become more apparent once the model demonstration begins in 2027. If they are not immediately apparent, we have 10 years to figure them out.

Applications for participation will open in March. To stay connected and receive updates from CMS, join the LEAD Model List or contact the LEAD Model team.

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

Overtime Ruling Upheld

by | Jan 9, 2026 | Legal

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

Ruling Upheld

Agencies must pay minimum wage and overtime

A District Court of Pennsylvania ruled in favor of the Secretary of Labor against the WiCare Home Care Agency. The parties engaged in a lawsuit alleging the agency failed to pay minimum wage and overtime.

Background

The battle on overtime wages for home health aides continues to create more questions than answers. The FLSA in 1974 extended overtime coverage for all domestic service workers with two exceptions: companion services and live-in employees. In 2013, the Department of Labor published a rule that created an exception to the exceptions: third-party employers, such as home care agencies and staffing agencies, cannot use the exception. This forced most home health and personal care agencies to pay minimum wage and overtime rates. Courts upheld this rule, applying deference to the DOL interpretation of the FLSA. This is in keeping with the Chevron Doctrine, which has since been overturned.

In July of 2025, the DOL proposed a rule that would revert back to the 1974 interpretation of the exceptions. Later that month, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the DOL stated it would no longer uphold the 2013 change for new and existing cases. The DOL used the overturning of the Chevron case in support of the proposed rule.

Arguing Deference

WiCare lost the first case and the court ordered them to pay more than $1 million in back wages and damages. WiCare filed an appeal and argued that the DOL does not have standing to change the parameters of FLSA. The agency argued that government agencies should not be shown deference in their interpretation of a statute (Chevron Deference). They also argued that the DOL does not have the authority to override the exceptions for companion and live-in caregivers.

Court Unpersuaded

The opinion was filed by some but not all of the court of appeal judges. The court held that it is “well established” that agencies have the authority to give meaning to statutory terms. The decision upholds the now overturned Chevron Deference and conflicts with the 2025 statement from the WHD that it would not uphold the rule.

What it all Means

The proposed rule to undo the 2013 rule and revert to the 1974 rule is still undecided. This means that the existing FLSA rule remains intact. That rule requires overtime pay from an agency or other third-party employer.

This ruling on appeal is unlikely to impact other Chevron Defense cases. The court stated that the DOL has the express right to establish meaning and would have that right with or without Chevron. This ruling may, however, influence the proposed rule that would eliminate overtime requirements. The industry is split on support for this change and advocates continue to argue on both sides. This ruling may be used in attempts to stop the proposed rule from being finalized.

Final Thoughts

Until there is a clear change to the FLSA overtime and minimum wage exemptions and exceptions, individual employers and agencies should continue to ensure caregivers are paid both minimum wage and overtime wages in accordance with the existing exemptions.

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com