Registration Now Open │ Agenda Now Available

The NY Alliance is proud to announce the dates for our 3rd Annual Data/Finance Virtual Summit taking place on September 7 - 8, 2022. This event will feature a series of webinar presentations on a wide variety of topics related to harnessing the capabilities of data, financial sustainability, utilizing technology to enhance efficiency, the financial state of the OPWDD service delivery system, and other topic areas.

Dates & Times:
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 - 9:30AM - 1:00PM
Thursday, September 8, 2022 - 9:30AM - 1:00PM

Working Agenda

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

9:30am Opening Remarks & Vendor Fair - Part 1
Michael Seereiter, NY Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation

10:45am Two (2) Concurrent Sessions
1. Financial Products or Tools That Yield a Return on Investment
Brian O'Reilly, FORVIS, LLP
Allan Blum, FORVIS, LLP
Koren Chen, FORVIS, LLP

Fiscal viability of the Special Needs industry is a major concern for both providers and regulators. OPWDD continues to assess and monitor providers' fiscal health using their sustainability measures and the CFRs that are filed. Using FORVIS, LLP's database of all the CFRs filed through 2020 and using the OPWDD sustainability measures, we will provide an update on how the OPWDD and SED industries have fared in the past several years. This session will also provide a practical guide to designing and developing dashboards in the IDD field including:

• What metrics/KPI are typically included
• Key considerations when deciding what metrics to include in your dashboards
• Designing metrics to address varied users
• Linking financial and program measures
• Comparisons of data to standards

2. Profiling Excellence: Leveraging existing EHR and Core Competency Data for DSP Development
Matt Kuriloff, East End Disability Associates
Casey Donovan, eVero Corporation
Jennifer Vogt, eVero Corporation

When we think of our best DSPs, we think of that certain quality that is hard to define. Some call it “having heart.” Pessimists often say it’s a quality that can’t be taught.

Through a collaboration between East End Disability Associates, eVero, and the Regional Centers for Workforce Transformation, we may be able to crack the code with data. By analyzing the data from service documentation that quantifies progress and satisfaction of the people they support, along with DSP Core Competency Evaluation Scores, they will identify high performing DSPs, who also demonstrate high satisfaction and outcome achievement in the people they support.  During the presentation the team will share their initial findings. They hope to leverage our results to impact provider agencies to better navigate the recruitment and retention challenges endemic to our industry, to aide in the development of targeted trainings and improve the overall quality of service delivery.

12:00pm Two (2) Concurrent Sessions
1. Using Restraint Reduction Data and Techniques to Generate Cost Savings Related to Staffing
Kari Phillips, Access: Supports for Living
Sean Switzer, Access: Supports for Living

Reducing the use of physical interventions improves quality of life for both DSPs and the people they serve. In concurrence, restraint reduction also generates significant cost savings. In this presentation the team will describe how Access has utilized ongoing reviews of their behavior restraint data by undertaking a comprehensive assessment of all use of physical interventions across programs. The team from Access will demonstrate how this data analysis translated into continued development of their staff to result in a reduction of the overall number of restraints and the corresponding reduction of staff injuries. Overall, in the first year of utilizing these strategies Access experienced a 580% reduction in staff lost days leading to tens of thousands in savings on the cost of overtime and workers compensation.

2. Data Empowerment: Using Data to Understand and Support People’s Needs
Matt Northrup, Care Design NY

The transition from MSC model of care to Care Coordination Organizations has enabled datasets that extend beyond waiver services into healthcare and behavioral health assessments and care planning. This centralized data enables population health assessments and data informed systemic quality improvement planning.

Thursday, September 8, 2022

9:30am Vendor Fair - Part 2 & NYS OPWDD Representative (TBA)
Michael Seereiter, NY Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation

10:45am Three (3) Concurrent Sessions
1. The AI Trifecta: Staff Retention + Maximized Reimbursement + Improved Clinical Care
Chris Yakscoe, Netsmart Technologies
Jon Schafer, Netsmart Technologies
Mary Jones, Mental Hygiene Association

Jon and Chris from Netsmart and Mary from the Mental Hygiene Association will discuss and showcase the FIRST and ONLY Artificial Intelligence Documentation Tool for Human Services! The Bells AI Digital Assistant is designed to make the documentation process faster, easier and higher quality for behavioral health, I/DD, autism, and direct service providers. Our artificial intelligence (AI) technology alleviates pain points to enable faster onboarding, staff retention and recruitment, reduce documentation time, enable concise clinical documentation, drive adherence and engagement in care plans and maximizes reimbursements.  We will also be including client testimonials to hear from your peers!

Chris was the co-founder of the company that created the Bells AI technology, and Jon has been instrumental in the creation, implementation, and success of the technology. Mary Jones is the CEO of MHA and a career-long clinician – she and her team were among the first users of Bells AI and essential helped co-create the solution. They are each excited to answer questions about current and future functionality designed to cure staff burnout by reducing the documentation burden.

2. Decreasing your Staff Vacancy Rate – The Racker Experience
Bethany Brown, Franziska Racker Center
Cecilia Campbell, Franziska Racker Center

The Franziska Racker Center in Ithaca, New York has been able to drastically decrease their staff vacancy rate over the past year in spite of the current workforce crisis through a series of targeted investments and best practices.  Bethany and Cecilia will share their experience and how they have been able to drive change within their agency so that you potentially replicate their ideas in your agency. 

3. Quality Assurance & Data-Driven Decision Making
Jason Laws, Therap

This session will demonstrate the value of data literacy and utilization at all levels of service delivery, from direct support through organizational and system level evaluation. Quality occurs at each of these levels, therefore data must be collected and applied at each of them, not just organizational and systemic administration. This session will discuss strategies for creating a data-driven organization and review specific examples of the impact that data can have on the overall quality of services delivered. Additionally, this session will introduce Therap's tools for aggregating and visualizing data from basic reporting to higher level Business Intelligence dashboards that can inform decision making and facilitate better outcomes for individuals.

12:00pm General Session - Social Determinants of Health and Best Practices within Your Agency
Carli Friedman, The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL)
Kendra Julius , The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL)

In this presentation, Carli Friedman, PhD, will describe what social determinants of health are and why they are important, and share her research about the impact of social determinants of health on people with disabilities. Then, Kendra Julius will expand upon this research to show how you can apply the important lessons learned into best practices for your agency to enhance the overall quality of support for the people you serve. By paying attention to social determinants of health, and utilizing person-centered outcomes while doing so, we can reduce health disparities and promote good health for all.

For questions, contact [email protected].

Summit Sponsors: