Issues RFP For Consolidated Quality Assurance Survey
(9/14/2009)

NEW DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES CONSOLIDATED QUALITY ASSURANCE REPORTING REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

Also a part of the revised 2009-2010 State Budget enacted in late July was a proposal to consolidate (combine) two separate oversight surveys and reporting. Combining the two quality assurance reporting would mean a reduction – or savings to the State in overall spending for the reporting because only one report would need to be done.



The revised 2009-2010 State Budget consolidates or combines funding for two separate quality assurance studies that will be implemented by January 1, 2010. The new combined survey would be administered by the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, with the new reporting tools and survey to developed and completed, along with analysis of the data collected by an independent contractor – which is the subject of the “request for proposal” or RFP currently being offered on the Department of Developmental Services website at www.dds.ca.gov



The Schwarzenegger Administration and Legislature hope will provide better monitoring and reporting on the health and safety of persons with developmental disabilities.



The combined reporting, the Department of Developmental Services believes, will meet the requirements of the federal Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which oversees the federal Medicaid and Medicare programs in the states, and also help policymakers – including the department – in future decision making on policy.



Since 1998, the Department of Developmental Services has administered two quality assurance evaluations on the health, safety, and overall quality of life of persons with developmental disabilities.

· “Life Quality Assessment” sometimes known as “LQA”. This assessment, often done by persons with developmental disabilities, surveys persons with developmental disabilities in the community regarding their quality of life, asking a series of questions.

· “Evaluation of People with Developmental Disabilities Moving from Developmental Centers into the Community” sometimes referred to as the “Movers Study”. That reporting ended (sunset) on June 30, 2009. This survey evaluates the satisfaction of person with developmental disabilities who has moved from a developmental center into a community-based setting.



Background and Summary of Request for Proposal (RFP)

The Department of Developmental Services issued on September 9, 2009, a request for proposal or RFP (# HD099067) . A copy of the 43 page proposal can be viewed or downloaded from the department’s website at:

http://www.dds.ca.gov/RFP/docs/HD099067_QAConsolidation.pdf



The Department of Developmental Services is seeking a independent contractor to do the following:

· Provide a reliable, nationally validated assessment instrument to collect detailed statewide and regional center quantifiable data that measures health and safety,quality of life, integration, choice and consumer and family satisfaction from individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

· Conduct an analysis of this data at the state and regional center level, bench mark both statewide and regional center specific findings against those of other states and among regional centers, and identify areas where the system is performing well and areas requiring improvement.

· Provide tools, training, and onsite and remote technical support to the Department of Developmental Services, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the regional centers on the use of the survey instrument and the analysis of data to identify trends and systemic issues at the state and regional center level.

· Term of contract is January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2012 with a contract amount not to exceed $2,086,000.00 designated at $156,000.00 for state budget year 2009-2010, $965,000.00 forstate budget year 2010-2011, and $965,000.00 for state budget year 2011-2012.

· Implementation of the contract is contingent upon the Budget Act of the current fiscal year and/or any subsequent fiscal years covered under the Agreement and the appropriation of sufficient funds for the program.

· The Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise requirement has been waived for this Agreement.



Combined Survey Part of A Larger “Quality Management System” by Department

This combined survey is one part of a larger quality management system that the Department of Developmental Services says is “still evolving”.



Some advocates have criticized the State over the years for its lack of oversight and monitoring in what services and supports a person with developmental disabilities receives or does not receive, including quality, health and safety related issues.. The same criticism has been directed at other services and programs administered by other state departments overseeing the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, Medi-Cal and other similar programs.



The Department of Developmental overall quality assurance system is officially known as the “Developmental Service Quality Management System”.



Besides the consolidation of the Life Quality Assessment and the Evaluation of People with Developmental Disabilities Moving from Developmental Centers into the Community survey, other key components of this system include:

· Regional Center Performance Contracts - outcome based contracts between the Department of Developmental Services and regional centers developed with local community input, address statewide performance measures and may include locally developed outcome measures.

· Biennial Collaborative Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Monitoring Reviews : The Department of Developmental Services and the Department of Health Services (the state agency that oversees California’s Medi-Cal or Medicaid program) conducts on-site Medicaid Waiver monitoring reviews at regional centers every two years. The monitoring includes record reviews of persons with developmental disabilities receiving services under the federal Medicaid waiver, including interviews, interviews with regional center service coordination, quality assurance and clinical staff and service providers, and physical plant reviews to assess health and safety of persons with developmental disabilities receiving services under the federal waiver, satisfaction and adequacy of service provision.

· Comprehensive Risk Management System - This system includes responsibilities for the Department of Developmental Services, regional centers, and an independent risk management contractor. The comprehensive risk management system is designed to assist in decreasing risks to health and safety while honoring individual choice of a person with developmental disabilities receiving services, community integration and independence.

· Bay Area Quality Management System Pilot - Model developed based upon the Agnews Closure Plan and work done through the three year federal Centers on Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Systems Change Grant, completed in the fall of 2006 and is currently being implemented at San Andreas Regional Center (in the San Jose area), Regional Center of the East Bay (east bay area), and Golden Gate Regional Center (San Francisco peninsula area). This system consists of several components including a Quality Improvement Tool that measures provider performance outcomes, National Core Indicators, a person with developmental disabilities and family survey that measures outcomes and satisfaction, a central information and integration system, and a Quality Review Commission made up of stakeholders to review quality data and provide input into system improvements.

· Department of Developmental Services (DDS) Quality Management Executive Committee -Reviews data from Quality Management Services data sources to identify statewide trends, establish priorities for statewide remediation and quality improvement activities, and monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.