Information Technology

The purpose of this report is to inform the efforts of states that are trying to develop and improve QA/QI systems by describing and analyzing how selected Systems Change Grantees went through this process. The initiatives examined fall into six categories: administrative technology and information technology; standards for services; discovery; remediation; workforce; and public information.

Wisconsin developed the WorkSource website and phone and email hotline to answer employers’ questions about recruiting and employing people with disabilities. Here you can find a focus group and needs assessment report used in developing the website. There are also a WorkSource brochure, a list of questions that can be answered within 24 hours, and a link to the site.

While some health and economic data on people with disabilities are currently available, these data have limited use in providing a comprehensive assessment of how these individuals are faring. Additionally, the lack of more useful data limits the federal government’s ability to determine how well federal programs are serving individuals with disabilities. Read about ways better coordination could help facilitate the collection of such data to inform policy decisions.

This assessment is designed to assist organizations in evaluating their readiness to perform key functions of ADRCs. The online version provides users with immediate feedback and links to resources to help build needed capacity. Functional areas measured include: organization and governance; personnel and training; service delivery and operations; outreach and marketing; IT; partnerships; and evaluation and monitoring.

Presentations included information about the Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement (QA/QI) grant as well as the activities of the grant. Presentations were made on the results of the Measuring Quality Using Experience Surveys report. A presentation to the department’s management team on the Data Mart(s) is also included.

The goal of the QAI Datamart is to develop a consumer-based reporting and data analysis database using the Home and Community-Based Services Quality Framework. The QAI DataMart will support data analysis and decision support for quality assurance and improvement. The purpose of this Software Requirements Specification (SRS) is to document the customer’s requirements for the applications being developed or enhanced. The reports and queries available from the DataMart are also included.

In many ways, consumers are the best experts on their disabling conditions, including their own needs for support and the effectiveness and quality of programs. As a result, obtaining consumer participation and input at all stages of program design, implementation, evaluation and quality assurance is important. Effectively and efficiently involving consumers and obtaining their input, however, requires creative and innovative methods. This checklist will help to enhance full participation.

How are ADRCs and other non-profits using mobile technology? For staff who spend time traveling to clients homes and providing services in a non-office setting, portable information is a must. This issue brief provides some basic information about the most common forms of mobile technology and some issues to consider before adopting portable equipment as a service delivery tool. Also included are the ways information is accessed, collecting client data plus the approaches used by other states.

This AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper examines the efforts of South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin to improve home care quality by using a more person-centered approach. The initiatives described in this report point to the significant ongoing efforts that states are using to ensure quality care and support in the home. The challenge for state officials continues to be the creation of quality assurance systems that place consumer needs and goals for quality of life first.

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs has set forth inclusion and exclusion guidelines for the integrated statewide information and referral database. This database will serve as a single point of access for information, counseling, referrals, assessment and eligibility functions, which will maximize consumer choice. The database includes entities that serve both Florida’s elders and their families, and adults suffering from severe and persistent mental illness.