With our company's ongoing commitment to provide quality services and achieve
high levels of regulatory compliance, D&S Community Services developed and
implemented a formal, comprehensive, and multi-faceted Quality Assurance
Program for its HCS, ICFMR, and TxHmLv programs.
Our QA Program is administered by a team of full-time professionals who report
directly to the company's Board of Directors.
The six key aspects of this oversight program include:
Multi-Person QA Team
Two team members are former state surveyors.
Quarterly on-site Mini-Surveys to each service area
Both announced and unannounced visits
50% of group homes visited each quarter
Representative sample of foster care homes visited each quarter
Annual "Mock Surveys" using state survey standards
100% of group homes visited
Expanded sample of foster care homes visited
Personnel files reviewed
Face-to-face private interviews conducted with selected consumers
Intensive auditing of consumer charts
100% of charts audited twice each year
Additional focused chart audits
Formal orientation & training program for staff
Focused technical assistance activities based on QA Program findings
D&S was one of the first community-based
providers to move from the state-copyrighted PMAB
restraint-based behavior intervention model to the
internationally-recognized Crisis Prevention Institute's
NonViolent Crisis Intervention (CPI) model. This program
promotes positive behaviors by emphasis on verbal redirection
and other non-physical techniques. Implementation of the CPI
model moved D&S from the traditional industry standard of a
restraint-first biased program to one of verbal de-escalation.
Key Facts Related to Quality Assurance
Strong Experience is a Necessary Asset!
The D&S Quality Assurance Team has extensive experience in the
field of Developmental Disabilities.
Important Program Oversight Comes from
Additional Healthcare Professionals
D&S Staff Psychologist
- Implements Positive Behavior Support Plans
- Offers professional consultations and Crisis Management
- Monitors progress on Behavior Plans
- Conducts employee positive support strategy training
D&S R.N. Healthcare Managers
- Provide nursing and healthcare services oversight
- Offer nurse and direct-care staff training
- Provide nursing peer reviews
- Seek medical consultations with other healthcare professionals
- Supplement all QA Program activites
About D&S Community Services
D&S Community Services, founded in 1991, is an established provider of
community-based, individualized services for persons with developmental
disabilities. The company currently serves over 900 individuals through its HCS,
ICFMR, and the TxHmLv Programs Program
Service Sites: With its fifteen geographic service areas in Texas, D&S
Community Services operates over 140 group homes while also providing foster-care
services in over 300 foster care homes.
All data used for this informational product is current as of
October, 2011.
Creating
the Cornerstone of Quality Assurance
