Quality

This Promising Practices Bulletin highlights a Consumer Outcomes Survey administered annually annually to a random sample of waiver participants by Family Care, Wisconsin’s Medicaid managed long-term care waiver. The State shares information garnered from the surveys with the Care Management Organizations and uses the information to monitor changes in outcomes over time.

Article published in Psychiatric Services on Evidence Based Paractices in Mental Health Settings. Authors describe the rationale for using evidenced-based practices to achieve better outcomes for persons who experience mental illness

The Promising Practices Bulletin highlights Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q), one of Pennsylvania’s quality management strategies in its Developmental Disability programs. IM4Q consists of of an independent review team that is composed of individuals with disabilities, family members, and other concerned citizens who are independent of the services being reviewed.

Description of LTC system for elders and younger persons with disabilities in Alabama in 2001

The HCBS Promising Practices in Quality bulletin describes Michigan’s Mission-Based Performance Indicator System. The system provides comparative reports on the performance of Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs) in serving and supporting persons with developmental disabilities in Michigan’s Medicaid 1915 b/c Waiver. Performance measure data are used by the state to identify problems and serve as the basis for quality improvement activities.

Quality Improvement Process (QIP) is a survey administered to program participants in Indiana’s HCBS waiver and state-funded programs who are elderly or have a physical disability. It provides information on service delivery from the participant’s perspective, including consumer choice, timeliness, respectfulness, consistency and task performance. Results are used on an individual basis to identify and follow-up on incidents, as well as for providing feedback to providers on their performance.

This introduction to root cause analysis, and its adaptation to developmental disabilities systems, has been commissioned by the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) in an effort to assist state DD program administrators enhance their risk management and quality improvement activities. It is designed to provide guidance on the use of root cause analysis to individuals charged with managing programs and larger systems that serve and support persons with developmental disabilities.

HSRI conducted a study of five states that made significant changes in their licensing requirements to be more person-centered and outcome-based. The study addressed these questions: What outcomes and requirements were commonly incorporated in most states’ licensing regulations and outcomes? What types of services did the states license/certify under these regulations and outcomes? What survey methodologies did the states use? What conclusions and recommendations can be drawn from the study?

Sixteen Regional Office waiver review reports were reviewed to identify the areas most frequently cited using the HCBS Quality Framework categories as a guide. States included in the sample represented all regions of the country, as well as sparsely and densely populated states.

Direct-care worker associations can give individuals a means of gaining additional skills, accessing support and recognition, and networking with peers. They can also raise awareness to the value of caregiving work and help workers develop leadership skills needed to become involved in discussions about long-term care policy and workplace practices. The article provides a historical overview of associations, reviews successful models, and addresses ways to organize and sustain groups.