Home and community-based services (HCBS) are at the nexus of community living. The number of Americans that need long-term services and supports is expected to rapidly and continually grow. The development and implementation of national standards for high quality long-term services and supports, and the systems that provide them, is needed to help track and measure the reach and effectiveness of national, state, and community programs.
ACL is working to support the development of standards and measures directly related to the well-being of older adults, people with disabilities and their families, as well as the availability of and access to services and supports for all individuals. These standards are being developed and implemented through ongoing program performance, program evaluation, and other continual quality improvement strategies.
ACL has invested in a number of quality-related initiatives including:
- Involvement in a National Quality Forum work group to complete a two-year effort to develop a conceptual framework for measurement, released in fall 2016. The final report includes short-term recommendations on areas where there are existing measures or measure concepts that have been tested or could be tested in HCBS, intermediate recommendations on where there are existing measures or concepts that need more development, and long-term recommendations about areas that lack measures or concepts and require more research. Additionally, the report identifies gaps in HCBS quality measurement, describes challenges for measuring HCBS quality, and provides recommendations for prioritization in measurement.
- See the final report: "Measuring Home and Community-Based Services Quality Project"
- For further reading, all project materials are archived on NQF’s website under “Materials.”
- Developing HCBS quality measures from two survey tools: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Aging and Physical Disabilities which are supported by the National Core Indicators contract. These two related survey instruments continue to inform the field on state HCBS quality system performance.
- A NIDILRR- funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Home and Community-Based Services Outcomes. The result will be a set of recommended measures and procedures to ensure that they support quality-of-life outcomes for people with disabilities and older adults.
- An informational webinar series to increase awareness of ACL’s commitment to and development of HCBS measures and provide a platform among internal and external stakeholders to share developments and collaboration efforts in the HCBS quality field.
Webinar Archive
- 6/13/18: HCBS Quality and e-LTSS
- 2/21/18: HCBS Quality Measurement Tools
- 8/16/17: HCBS Quality Measure Development
- 6/28/17: HCBS Quality Framework Development
- 5/10/17: What Is ACL’s Interest in HCBS Quality?
Related Links and Resources
- Legal Basics: Medicaid Long-Term Services Supports