DDRS Quarterly Provider Meeting

With a focus on obtaining provider feedback, the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) held its Quarterly Provider Meeting on July 16th at the Indiana Government Center. To accomplish this focus, the Division experimented with a new format by facilitating group discussion on six critical DDRS issues in hopes of stimulating meaningful dialogue. Session materials for these groups may be found by clicking here. 

The Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Transition Plan discussion appeared to be the most popular topic, drawing enough participants to host three concurrent discussion groups. The Transition Plan is to ensure that individuals receiving HCBS are integrated in and have access to supports in the community, in keeping with new federal regulations. FAQ about the plan are available here. Phase 1 and 2 of the plan is allocated for June-August of this year and focuses on assessing compliance with new federal HCBS rules. Indiana has decided to use National Core Indicators (NCI) data as a primary tool in evaluating compliance. Once all data is captured, phase 3 of the transition will focus on strategies to bring any identified areas into compliance. As part of their requirements in developing this plan,DDRS is seeking public comment by August 7, 2014. 

Another hot discussion topic concerns the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Transition Initiative. Presented jointly by Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) and BDDS, the session sought to gather ideas and input to inform BRS' on-going planning in this important area. Overall, the Transition Initiative seeks to identify and provide appropriate VR services to transition age youth to assist them in achieving high-quality competitive and integrated employment. Key elements in reaching this outcome will be purposeful collaboration with education agencies, providers and employers. Comments and feedback on the VR Transition Initiative should be directed to Kylee Hope, Director of BRS. 

Cathy Robinson, Director-First Steps, led the session titled "First Steps: Feedback on potential ideas for the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP)." Required by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the SSIP is a three phase, multi-year plan to assess a state's capacity and ability to implement and support evidence-based practices that result in improved outcomes of infants and toddlers with disabilities. Phase I which spans FFY2013 focuses on acquiring and analyzing data to identify areas in need of focused improvements. Indiana First Steps is working with the State's Interagency Coordinating Council to complete the plan, with Phase I scheduled to be complete by April 2015. 

The Communications Improvements session asked "what's going well?" and "how can we improve for you?" The general response from participants was that the Division does well with e-mail alerts. In addition, participants were appreciative of the time that the Division devotes to meet face-to-face with providers. For improvement, the group unanimously agreed that moving to any social media platform was ill-advised. Instead, it was requested efforts be made to organize the website in a way which would make locating information easier and that it be presented in a clear, understandable way. 

BQIS System Redesign focused its discussion on finding better ways to communicate and respond to incident reporting. To this end, participants were provided a copy of the proposed flow chart for Incident Reporting (IR). This new process would enable BQIS to better analyze IR information in order to drive more positive outcomes. The key to its success is to develop more thorough information on the front-end, so that BQIS and providers are able to address and resolve issues more efficiently, resulting in less administrative burden and more focus on the individuals' health and safety. BQIS intends to eliminate unnecessary reporting and make the process more collaborative and efficient.Comments/feedback may be sent to Anne Davis, Director Bureau of Quality Improvement Services. 

Lastly, the Provider Scorecard session drew providers' ideas on ways to improve the experience that consumers have when selecting their provider. The goal was to envision a clean slate and share all thoughts, features and functionality that should be helpful, yet not overwhelming to consumers and their families as they seek to make an informed decision. In addition, there were many viewpoints shared as to the pros and cons of incorporating different data points to the provider information. 

If you have any questions, please contact Christiaan Campbell or Keith Digman.