1. New England Vocational Rehabilitation Quality Assurance System
7th Annual Summit
Performance Management in Vocational Rehabilitation
September 8, 2014

2. The Charge October 2013 New England (NE) VR Directors
NE Performance Evaluation and Quality Assurance (NE PEQA) staff
Develop a Quality Assurance Model for the Region 1 VR agencies

3. NE PEQA Working Group Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont
NE TACE

4. Key Resources
Institute on Rehabilitation Issues Performance Management: Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance in Vocational Rehabilitation 2011
Continuous Quality Improvement (Deming, 1982)
NE PEQA Knowledge and Experience

5. The Model Seven Components Self-Assessment Definitions Elements
Best Practices
Interrelationships
Self-Assessment

6. Component #1: Communication of Mission and Values
Mission: Primary goal of the organization
Values: Principles that mission and vision are based on
Communicated via public documents, web sites, intranets and strategic plan; exemplified by consumer success stories

7. Mission/Values: Best Practices
Supported & reinforced through training and aligned with procedures and operational roles
Staff, consumers, partners, etc. are able to verbalize mission/vision/values
Strategic Plan developed to meet needs of all stakeholders; all staff know how they contribute to mission and organization’s success

8. Component #2: Organizational Goals, Objectives and Timelines
Long-terms goals established and translated into measurable short-term objectives and timelines
Planning is ongoing and based on strategic & state plans & stakeholder input
Project management, clear roles/responsibilities and regular monitoring are built into organizational structure

9. Goals/Objectives: Best Practices
Multi-level, comprehensive strategic planning defines goals/objectives based on mission/vision/values
Strategic Plan is “road map” with objectives/outcomes/timelines and measures and developed with stakeholder input

10. Component #3: Measures
Tools, methods and processes that are used to quantify and assess past, ongoing and future goals and results
Outcome measures (rehab rate, average earnings, etc.)
Process measures (change in education level, frequency of case notes, etc.)

11. Measures: Best Practices
Performance management system includes broad range of measures
Measures aligned with program goals
Measures are simple, easily understood, effectively implemented and include consumer characteristics

12. Component #4: Program Evaluation Data Systems
Used by organizations to collect quantitative and qualitative data
Allows for the validation and retrieval of data for evaluation, analysis, & reporting
Elements include Case Management Systems and Operating Principles

13. Program Evaluation Data Systems: Best Practices
Reliably stores Agency data & allows data preparation for analysis
Includes data validation procedures
Allows for integrated data sets that enable more extensive analysis
Has effective security protocols, roles, and rules
Provides data dashboard that relays data at the user level

14. Component #5: Analysis of the Data
Process of transforming data into a usable and reportable form
Adds meaning and value to the output of data collection tools and methods
Informs quality improvement efforts

15. Analysis of Data: Best Practices
Validate data
Develop specific questions to aid in the analysis of data
Re-evaluate collection of data periodically to ensure that what is collected is valuable to the program
Maintain awareness of developments and best practices as they relate to VR performance management

16. Component #6: Dissemination
The communication of results to specific audiences (e.g., counselors, staff, SRC members, CRPs, policy makers, etc.)
Assists stakeholders in making more informed decisions that ultimately lead to improved consumer outcomes

17. Dissemination: Best Practices
Practices should assure that all staff have a clear, consistent understanding of the Agency’s QA approaches
There is a clearly defined and shared dissemination strategy
Findings are developed & presented in ways that are useful for the intended users

18. Component #7: Cycle of Continuous Improvement
A developmental and routine process
It supports an ever-evolving Strategic Plan
Is an ongoing effort to improve products, services and/or processes
Widely used is Deming Cycle: Plan-Do-Check-Act

19. Continuous Improvement: Best Practices
Expectation and a requirement of everyone in organization
Changes not made without stakeholder input
Policy and procedural changes are well considered and implemented strategically and systematically
Project management mindset and tools
Success is celebrated

20. Interrelationships of Core Components
All seven components are closely related to each other
Each component impacts every other and the overall quality assurance system
A successful QA system requires recognizing and managing the interrelated components

21. State Self-Assessment
NE PEQA found that every state has some pieces of each component
All had good practices and those that could be improved
None had really worked on identifying and managing them as a whole
A tool was created for this purpose

22. Summary Discussion It’s about continuous improvement
It’s not about perfection
Everyone in the organization needs to participate
A comprehensive QA system prevents the sole focus from being on regulatory compliance

23. Thank You! Susan Wells, Vermont DVR susan.wells@state.vt.us
Ella McAllister, New Hampshire VR
Karen Fraser, Maine BRS