NQF to Help California Improve Outcomes and Accountability for Services to Those With Disabilities 

Washington, DC – The National Quality Forum (NQF) has partnered with the California Community Living Network (CCLN) to help measure the outcomes of California’s services to those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. NQF and the CCLN are working in support of the state’s Department of Developmental Services (DDS), which oversees services to more than 400,000 Californians. 

The project is part of the CCLN’s Person-Centered Advocacy, Vision, and Education (PAVE) Service Outcomes Project. The project will develop, pilot and test the feasibility, reliability, and validity of a new system that is designed to support the delivery of high-quality services and improved quality-of-life outcomes for those using DDS and regional center services consistently and equitably across the state. NQF also will convene stakeholder meetings to provide feedback and recommendations on the project’s methodology, validate its measurement framework, and offer ongoing consultation and advice to improve measurement effectiveness and efficiency. 

“It is imperative to measure and understand the impact of services for people with developmental disabilities to effectively address disparities, deliver value, and promote equity,” said Dana Gelb Safran, ScD, President & CEO, NQF. “Measuring outcomes fosters transparency and accountability for delivering care that is equitable and inclusive and produces results that matter to people receiving services.” 

The PAVE project will do this by measuring the outcomes and service quality experienced by individuals and their families; providing person-centered resources and training to promote participation, choice-and-control, inclusion and well-being for those using services; and supporting system-level strategic service development and the implementation of the DDS’s Quality Incentive Program. 

“Meaningful, person-centered support services empower Californians living with disabilities to livetheir chosen way of life,” said CCLN Executive Director Mark Melanson. “We have both a legal and moral responsibility to protect the dignity and rights of those with disabilities, and to remove any barriers that might hinder their daily lives. To do so, first we must be able to systematically measure outcomes and understand both the causes of disparity and inequity in quality and outcomes, and the factors that make good outcomes more likely. Then we can develop a system that provides consistently high-quality support. This work will give us the essential tools we need to improve the lives of all Californians with developmental disabilities.” 

As part of this multi-year partnership, NQF kicks off its work on the project this summer, with research to gain insight on the state of services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Following that, work will begin to identify experts for the first series of feedback sessions. NQF will deliver a consolidated final report on key themes and recommendations in late 2024 and continue to serve as a project consultant to CCLN through 2025. A second phase of work is planned for 2025-2027, during which NQF would review the project findings and support CCLN with recommendations around scalability of the system and the development of an implementation guide. 

CCLN will use NQF’s recommendations to refine the PAVE project’s measurement framework for assessing state services. NQF’s work will help identify best practices, areas for improvement, and areas where resources might be better allocated. 

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About National Quality Forum 

The National Quality Forum (NQF) works with members of the healthcare community to drive measurable health improvements together. NQF is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization that gives all healthcare stakeholders a voice in advancing quality measures and improvement strategies that lead to better outcomes and greater value. Learn more at www.qualityforum.org.