Information Technology

This is a presentation, from the 2007 Government & Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent Workshop. An overview of the Consumer Direction Module, a web-based software application for supporting the delivery of self-directed services, is provided here. The CDM is designed to make communication among the program participant, support broker, Fiscal/Employer Agent and state administrator simple and efficient; permit ongoing, timely, and efficient monitoring; and enhance the delivery of self-directed services.

Workforce3 One, an online resource sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, has a new Disability and Employment Resource Page to provide employment-related resources for the workforce system. This page outlines promising practices and expands the capacity of the One-Stop Career Center system to serve customers disabilities. The resource page includes videos and podcasts, toolkits and training materials, promising practices, and other materials.

Outcome data in the treatment of mental health and substance use are scarce, making quality improvement difficult. This report describes how Medicaid claims data can be combined with service-level data to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of services provided in community mental health centers (CMHCs). It describes how CMHCs in three States have used a particular system, Service Process Quality Management (SPQM), to improve quality and achieve cost savings.

IPAWS is a modernization and integration of the nation’s alert and warning infrastructure. This paper serves to demonstrate how IPAWS addresses the challenges of reaching the whole community, including the 25% of our population who might need assistance. It offers evidence that while IPAWS doesn't solve all of the challenges, it can certainly mitigate them, particularly with greater stakeholder engagement and public awareness. Emerging technologies that could improve accessibility are reviewed.

The National Council on Disability is required by law to annually submit a report on the status of the nation in achieving policies that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities and empower them to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society. The 2009 report focuses on current quality of life indicators and emerging trends that should be factored into future policies and programs.

The Handbook was developed to provide state staff, policymakers, service providers, program participants, and other stakeholders with a comprehensive source of information about participant direction programs and policies. Its primary purpose is to explain how States can increase program participants’ choice of and control over their services and supports. In addition to providing detailed information, the Handbook also provides links to additional web resources on the selected topics.

Here is an example of alternative funding of assistive technology to support employment. The fund is available through United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan and provides low interest loans for people with disabilities to purchase equipment that enables them to work from home. Examples of items and services that qualify for financing include computers and hardware, office furniture and equipment, home modifications, telecommunications systems, user training and maintenance.

Presentations from NASHP’s 21st annual state health policy conference are now available. The conference is planned by state health policymakers for state agencies' staff, legislators, and legislative staff. Review the presentations to learn how others are improving and innovating healthcare through state-level policy.

The 2008 national Aging and Disability Resource Center meeting took place in October in Boston. Find here the presentations and handouts from the workshops and plenary sessions. Topics ranged from nursing home diversion to quality to information flow and 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.