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Personal outcomes are important because they emphasize the importance of listening to and learning from the person.
difficulty bridging this connection between personal quality of life and person-centered services. Quite simply, the complex and multiple requirements for Medicaid documentation; data and information collection from local, state
organizations individualize supports to facilitate outcomes. Personal outcomes
What We’ve Learned:
are important because they emphasize the
The Importance of Person-Directed Services
importance of listening to and learning
In working with service systems,
from the person. The Personal Outcome Measures® interview and informationgathering protocol enable organizations to identify people’s priorities. Knowing about people’s priority outcomes directs planning efforts. Understanding individual definitions of quality results in individualization of the support process. This individualization of process reverses the traditional quality management
organizations, families and individuals, CQL has learned an important lesson over the decades. After analyzing the Personal Outcome Measures® database, we became convinced of the importance of choice and control in the attainment of personal quality of life. Our database analysis indicates the powerful influence of self-direction on personal quality of life. People who make choices about goals, supports they receive,
assumptions. If all people receiving services where they work, and where and with and supports defined their quality of life
whom they live have many more successful
outcomes in the same manner, and if all of
outcomes present in their lives than people
those same people learned and interacted
who do not make those choices.
with other people in the same way, then
In addition, many of these choices provide
perhaps organizations and systems would
opportunities beyond the confines of
standardize services around program
programs and services. Given the chance,
models. However, because people define
many people explore opportunities—goals,
their outcomes differently, the supports and supports, work, housing and friends—that services to facilitate the outcomes will vary. exist beyond the range of any single The services and supports that successfully
organization.
and federal agencies; and new methods for rate setting, billing and reimbursement are overwhelming service systems and individual providers, which is adversely impacting services. Since 2009, CQL has been engaged in the What Really Matters initiative. This program identifies person-centered services with the greatest impact on people’s quality of life. Through this initiative, we are: } Assisting organizations to promote
the discovery of each person’s quality of life outcomes, measure those outcomes over time and improve each person’s opportunity to achieve them. } Discovering and building on the
Personal Outcome Measures®, and promoting excellence in facilitating person-centered services.
What Organizations Can Do Service systems and organizations providing services and supports to adults and children with autism can use the Personal Outcome Measures® to learn
promote an outcome for one person may be
Unfortunately, our data and experience
about people’s priority outcomes, find out
a burden or imposition for another person.
indicate that organizations are having
if those priorities are being realized, and
16 Autism Advocate
• SECOND EDITION 2010