3 examples of outcomes management systems in action

And resources you can use to help your program develop its own

By CARF International

Performance management always has been a key section of the CARF standards. But the topic has gained more attention in the era of new reimbursement and oversight models.

Similarly, practices to address social determinants of health have grown in importance. Social determinants of health are the social and environmental conditions (such as housing, support, transportation, and education) that indirectly affect a range of health and quality-of-life outcomes.

CARF shares best practices related to outcomes management through its standards. To complement that effort, here are some recent field examples of outcomes systems’ improving performance.

1. Making the shift: Improving SCI outcomes with enhanced person-centered care
   Shepherd Center in Georgia conducted a three-year research project on outcomes of an enhanced person-centered care initiative for its spinal cord injury population.
    
2. Get Back to Work! How outcomes research helps our occupational rehab program demonstrate value
   Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin completed an in-house study of return-to-work status and strength of clients who completed its work-specialty rehab program.
    
3. The story of one provider’s path to value-based care
   Services for the UnderServed in New York has spent the past 10 years creating a system and culture to measure quality of services and define what impact those services have on clients’ wellness.

Further reading

Resources and trainings to help improve performance management practices:

• Sharing outcomes data advances evidence-based practice
  Dr. Di Shen, CARF’s Chief Research Officer, tackles head-on the reluctance of some service providers to participate in data-sharing systems. He addresses what makes data-sharing valuable and offers pointers in choosing the best option.
   
• Guides and publications
  CARF offers supplemental guides to help service providers develop and implement a performance management system.
  • Performance Management: A CARF Guide to Development and Use
  • CARF Performance Management Workbook: A Six-Step Guide (Complimentary)
  • Introduction to Performance Measurement for Aging Services
     
• In-person trainings
  CARF hosts three-day training institutes that take you through the steps required to plan and conduct a program of outcomes management and quality improvement.
  • Transforming Outcomes Institute (U.S. based)
  • Canada Advanced Performance Measurement (Canada based)

2/13/2019
(Aging Services,Behavioral Health,Employment and Community Services,Child and Youth Services,Medical Rehabilitation,Performance Management and Improvement)