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Department on Disability Services
 

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DDA Quality Management Systems

The purpose of the Quality Management Division is to support quality service delivery to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the District. QMD provides oversight and monitoring of quality service delivery through the administration of the issue resolution system, incident investigations, data collection, analysis and dissemination, and the operation of key committees that aim to protect people from harm and safeguard the health and wellness of people served by the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA). The office also ensures DDA’s compliance with all federal and District mandates and regulations to promote positive outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Quality Management accomplishes these functions through the program areas discussed below.

Office of Rights and Advocacy
The Office of Rights and Advocacy provides a forum to advance and protect the rights of people with disabilities who are served by the DDA. The office facilitates the Human Rights Advisory Committee and Restrictive Controls Review Committee and provides training and technical assistance on rights issues through a person-centered thinking approach.

Quality Improvement Unit
This Unit is charged with establishing and evaluating performance against standards for program operations that reflect sound practices and demonstrates program accountability. The Quality Improvement Unit is responsible for establishing procedures by which DDA analyzes, reviews, tracks, and identifies trends in DDA data, engages in continuous quality improvement, provides technical assistance in assuring the health, safety, and protection from harm for all people, and promotes best practices and positive outcomes for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Incident Management and Enforcement Unit
The Incident Management and Enforcement Unit (IMEU) investigates, follows up on and enforces recommended remedial actions for serious reportable incidents. The purpose of IMEU is to identify factors that may have contributed to the incident, recommend necessary preventive measures, and use this information on an individual and systemic basis to improve care and habilitation supports and services for all persons.

The Mortality Review Committee
The Mortality Review Committee (MRC) reviews all death investigations for people who received services from DDA. Based on the investigations, MRC issues recommendations to DDA and provider agencies that identify improvements necessary to ensure the health and safety of people receiving services.

Quality Improvement Committee
The Quality Improvement Committee (QIC) reviews reports and data as it relates to the various functions of the Quality Management Division. This includes, but is not limited to, Incident Management Reports, Continuing Quality Improvement Reports, Provider Certification Review Reports and Monitoring Reports. The committee is made up of internal and external members and makes recommendations for systems improvement to relevant departments within DDS as needed.

Immediate Response Committee
The Immediate Response Committee (IRC) reviews and assesses all incidents and issues that are reported to DDA through MCIS. The IRC’s role in the DDA service system is to ensure that people who experience an incident receive the necessary care and attention to keep them safe. The IRC identifies the necessary people to conduct follow-up activities, assesses the accuracy of information in each incident report and accepts the incident into the MCIS so that details of the incident will be available to those who need them.

Provider Certification Review
The Provider Certification Review (PCR) is the mechanism used to determine if a provider is qualified to deliver the Home and Community Based Services that they have been enrolled to provide. The purpose of the PCR is to determine if people are receiving all the services specified in their Individual Support Plan (ISP), identify positive practices and areas for improvement, assess compliance with regulations specified in the Medicaid Waiver for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and identify trends and strategies for system-wide improvement across all services and supports.

DDA is managed with several quality systems, including: