“Someday my son
with Down syndrome will leave home. How do I find out about the
various group home providers and assess which is the best for him?”
That’s a good question—and one that a lot of us have.
Like the father quoted above, consumers and family members seeking
waiver or intermediate care facility (ICF/MR) group home placements
need accurate, quality of care information about service providers.
Many who have already chosen a group home complain that their only
source of information about their current house came from “asking
around” or “word-of-mouth” recommendations. Others
based their decision solely on location or availability.
But getting back to
the question, how can consumers evaluate and compare one house
with another? Or get accurate, unbiased information about a provider’s
staff turnover and accident rates, health violations, and the resources
available for recreation, social, education and fitness programs?
The MN Department of
Human Services (DHS) is in the process of doing quality assessments.
In 2007 the DHS convened a Quality Assurance Stakeholder Advisory
Group to help develop a “quality management, assurance
and improvement system designed to meet the federal requirements under
home and community-based services waiver programs for persons with
disabilities.” The Advisory Group plans to “field test” an
annual survey that will be used to evaluate Minnesota waiver services.
According to Jason Flint, DHS Disability Services Division, a random
sample of five to ten per cent of all Minnesotans participating in
the waiver program will be surveyed annually. Information would then
be available to the public.
Since these official assessments are not yet available, what follows
are suggestions for where consumers can look as they make their own
assessments.
DHS information on medical
facilities. Information on nursing homes, hospitals, Medicare-certified
home health care agencies, health plans and other medical facilities
is available through the Minnesota Department of Human Services
DHS, www.health.state.mn.us/nhreportcard, or the US Department of
Human Services, www.medicare.gov/default.asp.
Nonprofit service providers.
GuideStar, www.guidestar.org, provides information about nonprofit
organizations. A free “GuideStar
Basic” search will generate an organization’s IRS Form
990, showing their year-end financial situation. Note: a provider
whose expenditures match government payments will not have funds
to support extra staff development or client activities. Conversely,
an organization successful at fundraising will be better able to
afford quality programs.
Intermediate care facilities. All ICF/MRs are licensed and inspected
annually by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Consumers can
call MDH (651-201-4101) for inspection results.
Consumers can also call
MDH about complaint investigations done on specific group homes.
MDH’s Office of Health Facility Complaints
Web site, www.health.state.mn.us/,
keeps a list of complaint investigations, which be searched by
county, city or service provider.
Supported living services.
Waiver group homes and other supported living services are licensed
by the DHS, whose Licensing Division (651-296-3971) can provide
information from licensing reviews (held on average every two years)
and any violation correction orders. A DHS representative cautioned
that it might “take a couple of days” to compile
the information, as staff members are “often in the field doing
reviews.” The Division hopes to have current data (from January
1, 2008) available online “within the next couple of months.”
Southeastern Minnesota
resources. Consumers who live in Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted
and Winona counties of Region 10 Quality Assurance (QA) can contact
LeAnn Bieber, QA Manager, for the licensing recommendations for
ICF/MR, employment and day training, and supported living providers.
These recommendations “focus on quality outcomes of support providers.” Visit
the QA Web page: www.mn-voice.org. Contact Bieber at 507-328-6607
or bieber.lean@co.olmsted.mn.us.
U of M consumer guide. Knowing what to ask can help consumers organize
their search. The University of Minnesota has a free publication, Through
Asking the Right Questions You Can Reach Your Destination: Questions
to Ask Providers When Making Decisions about Residential Supports for
Family Members with Disabilities, available at www.rtc.umn.edu/questions.
Provider professional associations. Consumers should ask whether a
provider or its staff are members of a professional association. These
associations help providers and their employees improve service quality
by making available training, advocacy and networking opportunities
and materials and promoting service standards.
Recognized associations
include ARRM, an association of more than 150 Minnesota ICF/MR
and waiver housing providers, and the American Network of Community
Options and Resources (ANCOR), a national association based in
Washington, DC, which represents “private providers
who provide supports and services to people with disabilities.”
For employees, professional associations include the National Association
of QMRPs (NAQ), which provides resources and networking for Qualified
Mental Retardation Professionals (and case managers), the Minneapolis-based
National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) and the
Washington DC-based American Association on Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities (AAIDD).
More information. PHI
National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce at www.directcareclearinghouse.org lists
service providers who follow “best
practices” in personnel management.
Care Providers of Minnesota
is a trade association based in Bloomington that hosts CareLinkUSA,
a useful provider search engine, at www.carelinkusa.com/Psearch.asp Use “Facility Detail Search” option
to sort services and amenities for Minnesota providers.
Send your suggestions. If you have found a strategy for evaluating
housing service providers, Access Press would like to hear from you.
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