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Quality Assurance- Federal Final Settings Rule Series

by Information & Resources

In 2014, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a rule requiring home- and community-based services (HCBS) to be provided in settings that meet certain criteria. The criteria ensure that HCBS participants have access to the benefits of community living and live and receive services in integrated, non-institutional settings. Colorado has been working towards this transition for several years as CMS extended the transition period. The final transition period is March 2023 when all providers need to demonstrate full compliance with this rule.

Part One of our communication series will focus on person-centered practices.

Person-centered practices puts the person receiving HCBS services at the center, focusing on that person’s goals, values and the life they want to live. Through person-centered service planning, the team listens to what the person wants and tailors services and supports to meet that person’s goal. This is a change in how service planning often was in the past, when paid supports would voice what they felt the person should be doing. Through person-centered practices we give voice back to the person receiving services, recognize them as being the director of their lives and use services offered to them through paid support to meet their life goals.

Home and community-based services Comparison Chart
Traditional vs. Person Centered home and community based services

For more information from CMS about person-centered planning, follow this link to a slide deck presentation.

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Quality Assurance Updates

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Support, Inc. utilizes continuous quality improvement as an ongoing effort to evaluate our services, systems, and processes to identify problem areas and opportunities for improvement.  One of the ways we employ continuous quality improvement is through regular auditing completed by the Quality Assurance Department. These audits allow us to review service delivery and quality of care to the waiver participants we serve. Recently we redesigned our file review tool to bring all Support, Inc. services and departments into quality auditing practices. We are calling our new tool the mock audit. The mock audit is designed to mimic a CDPHE (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment) licensing visit. CDPHE is required to survey every service agency in Colorado every 3 years.

Utilizing our own mock audit allows us to assess areas that need improvement while also identifying areas we are exceeding. The mock audit will also allow the Quality Assurance department time to prepare our internal teams and our providers for a CDPHE visit. As part of the mock audit the Quality Assurance Department, in conjunction with the Residential Program Coordinator will complete a site visit to the residential settings represented in the sample.

The site visit will cover a review of the key areas CDPHE assesses when they do their visits. This includes review of medications, review areas of health and safety of the participant, and ensuring the provider understands the support needs outlined in the service plan of the participant(s) they serve.

In addition, if the participant attends the Support, Inc. day program the Quality Assurance team will do a site visit. The day program site visit will review medications, areas of health and safety of the participant, compliance with regulation required inspections and ensuring the staff understand the support needs outlined in the service plan of the participant(s) they serve.  It is the mission of the Quality Assurance Department to engage all Support, Inc. employees and contractors in the planning and implementing of ongoing improvements while utilizing data to improve the quality of care for the individuals we serve. We look forward to starting mock audits in June; if you have any questions, please do to hesitate to reach out to Laura Viers at Laura.Viers@supportinc.com

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Congratulations to Our New Quality Assurance Coordinator

by Information & Resources

We are growing and so is our Quality Assurance department! Congratulations to Nick Sickels on his acceptance of the Quality Assurance Coordinator position. Nick has been with Support, Inc. for about a year- many of you know him through his work as a Residential Program Coordinator on our Denver- Colorado Springs Team. In his time here, Nick has excelled as an RPC as he built rapport with the individuals he serves, providers and families, while always have an eye for quality and compliance. He will be moving into our new Quality Assurance Coordinator role in May. We look forward to seeing Nick’s contributions to the agency continue in his new role.

Stay tuned for more updates on the quality initiatives this year!