Quality

This entry includes sample forms and results used to monitor direct care services for group, residential and day habilitation services and supports for people with developmental disabilities in Colorado. The surveys include both administrative and case management functions.

Handouts, attendee lists, reports presentations and speaker bios from a national symposium on the direct-care workforce are now available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy website. Hosted last May by the HHS and the U.S. Department of Labor, convened policymakers, workers, and practitioners from the fields of long-term care and workforce development to meet and learn from each other.

This report focuses the development of increased access to community transportation services for individuals with disabilities as part of the Access to Services project in Maine. The report includes a summary of grant activity, lessons learned throughout the project, and recommendations for next steps to sustain the work of this grant. The specific project goal was as follows: To make transportation more available and responsive to persons with disabilities.

This report brings together the research, analysis, and conclusions of the work completed under Maine’s Quality Choices grant concerning flexible funding systems for youth with developmental disabilities as they establish themselves in ‘adult’ communities on their road to independent living. The report includes a review of the project history and implementation, research findings Strategies and Recommendations, and a Fiscal Roadmap.

This report is a final list of recommended “dashboard” indicators for use in assessing the quality of HCBS Waiver services. The indicators are organized according to the HCBS Quality Framework to provide a common frame of reference. The report includes recommendations for implementing the “dashboard” indicators, lessons learned throughout the project and a plan for sustaining the work of this grant.

Colorado’s interest in performance measures reflects the recognition that the first step in improving service system performance is to measure it. As part of its implementation of the Systems Change Project, Developmental Disabilities Services has tracked system performance against specified “key” performance indicators. The Accountability Focus Series includes: Key Indicators of Performance; Outcomes Of Services and Supports. The third report is Gauging How Well Colorado Supports Its Citizens.

As part of an on-going effort to share information on quality, CMS has offered a series of letters and progress reports. This eighth letter discusses and a new resource: <i>Risk Management and Quality in HCBS: Individual Risk Planning and Prevention, System-Wide Quality Improvement</i>. The letter address the interrelated steps for Successful risk management for individuals in HCBS waivers.

Recognizing that states are engaging in risk planning for HCBS waiver participants, CMS requested this report that explores the topic of effective individual risk management. Potential risk falls into three general categories: health, behavioral and personal safety risks. The project selected 11 states to determine: how programs are addressing risk for participants, identify risk management themes and emerging issues, identify any state tools or policies that can be useful to other states.

This website is the site for the Maine Quality Choices grant. Maine’s Work Group for Community-Based Living includes a broad array of consumer and state representatives from five departments (Transportation, Labor, Education, Human Services, and Behavioral and Developmental Services). The website offers information on the Work Group, Accessing Services, Community Living, Data Integration, Person-Centered Services, Quality Improvement, Workforce and a Project Index.

This is the first in a series of papers synthesizing the ideas and practices of states as they improve the quality of home and community based services (HCBS) and supports for older persons and persons with disabilities. Building on the experiences and challenges of the QA/QI Systems Change grantees, the paper addresses four fundamental questions about quality management. The intent is to provide an account of current practice, and a structure for how states view their options.