Founders Everywhere: Julie Kennedy
Julie Kennedy is the co-founder and CEO of RubyWell, a digital healthcare platform dedicated to assisting unpaid family caregivers.
Over 11 million Americans are eligible for a long-term home health benefit, yet only a fraction are receiving services. Medicare covers 28 to 35 hours a week of in-home care for those who qualify, but the benefit is often overlooked, underused, or misunderstood. RubyWell is working to change that by helping families access care, by training and compensating family caregivers, and by partnering with agencies to improve outcomes. With the coming demographic shift, making home-based care the new norm is essential. If you are a caregiver, you can take this quiz to see if your loved one is eligible for the Medicare home health benefit. If eligible, caregivers undergo deeper screening and then complete state-specific training up to 79 hours of coursework in 30 states. Others like CA require 120, so they can be certified and paid as home health aides. By activating this untapped workforce and supporting agencies with technology and workflow solutions, RubyWell is making it possible for more families to keep loved ones at home while easing financial and logistical burdens for everyone involved.
Julie Kennedy is the co-founder and CEO of RubyWell. Prior to this, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at Trusty.care (another Everywhere Ventures portfolio company). She’s held leadership positions at various companies and has received various honors of recognition including Washingtonian of the Year in Washington, DC, a Daily Points of Light award from President Clinton, and a finalist mention for the Presidential National Service Award. She holds a BA from Georgetown University and MPA from Harvard University. She is also an alumna of the Springboard Enterprises Healthcare & Tech Accelerator, where she was part of a cohort of women leading companies aiming to transform the healthcare system.
What’s the inspiration behind RubyWell?
The inspiration for RubyWell comes from a blend of my personal and professional experiences. I have a deep background in Medicare, and can even quote regulations from the Medicare Benefits Policy Manual. On the personal side, I was a family caregiver for both of my grandmothers and my best friend, so I know the challenges. We created RubyWell, focusing on an underutilized Medicare benefit for maintenance home health benefits for chronic complex patients, who are most likely to have full time caregivers. We saw an opportunity to operate fully within the regulatory environment and activate the huge workforce of family caregivers who are already doing this work.
What’s RubyWell’s North Star?
We aim to redefine home health over the next decade by keeping people at home, placing families at the center of the care team, and compensating them appropriately. The data shows that trained, paid family caregivers reduce overall healthcare costs. The norm should be that family caregivers have a clear pathway to proper training and a recognized role within the healthcare workforce. RubyWell is about improving access and outcomes for families and the agencies that support them.
Tell us about some milestones that RubyWell has crushed.
We recently raised an oversubscribed seed round.
We have identified over 450 people in AZ who are homebound and likely eligible, and have over a dozen caregivers in training, with more being added every day.
RubyWell currently operates in AZ and PA, with new operations planned for CT, MA and FL coming soon.
How does RubyWell inspire “customer love”?
We have two customers really, the user (family caregiver) and the customer (the agency). Agencies see it as a way to capture lost revenue and improve health outcomes by supporting people who fall between post-hospital care and hospice. For family members, there’s currently no formal way to be part of the care team under Medicare and we’re creating a pathway for them to be trained and compensated. It’s a win-win for everyone.
What has been one of your greatest challenges?
The entire healthcare system is largely built around the denial of care and denial of payment of claims. Home health shouldn't be viewed as a cost center, but rather a preventative investment. As someone with deep experience in insurance, I believe the true value lies in paying the right claims to manage risk effectively. Many stakeholders support our approach, but they're constrained by fears of audits, workforce shortages, and burdensome documentation. That’s exactly what RubyWell is solving: empowering family caregivers as part of the workforce and using technology to reduce administrative burden. In a system full of constraints, we’re showing there is a sustainable, preventative path forward. And we now have the data to show that for a medically comparable population, those who receive a home health intervention cost Medicare a whopping 25-59% less than those who don’t, even for heavy users of home health!
How has your background shaped you as a founder?
As a Canadian who moved to the U.S. in high school, I was struck by the gaps in the social safety net. After college, I joined Teach for America and founded DC SCORES, which grew into a national nonprofit. My path into healthcare was very personal. When my best friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I became a caregiver. It was a crash course in navigating the U.S. healthcare system and the whole process was mind blowing. That experience really sparked my commitment to improving the healthcare system.
Fun fact:
I was the coxswain for the Men's Heavyweight Crew at Georgetown and we won Nationals one year. I also trained with the Canadian National Team!
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