Job Abstract

Mary's Center is committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within our organization and the communities we serve. We embrace diversity of experiences, ideas, and individuals, and seek to bring a diverse group of candidates to the table.

Important Note: Mary’s Center is mandating the COVID-19 vaccine + booster for all staff.

Position Summary

The Quality Improvement & Assurance Specialist is responsible for managing all Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement activities for the Healthy Families America – DC and Parents as Teachers programs at Mary’s Center. The responsibilities include managing and supporting all Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities implemented by the program teams. The position must monitor timeliness and accuracy of data entry into the DC Health Data Collection and Reporting System (DCRS); create customized monitoring reports for the Managers and staff; and design, with support from DC Health and staff teams, Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycles. This position is responsible for conducting data analysis on all CQI activities, quality assurance areas, and ongoing program monitoring reports.

Reportability

This position will report directly to the Home Visiting Director.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

The QIAS is responsible for:

• Providing technical assistance to staff and stakeholders to ensure that the data collection conforms to standardized participant and service definitions.
• Developing approaches and preparing analytical reports using statistical software on performance measure, core indicators, and program benchmarks.
• Meeting with the DC Health MIECHV Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) lead at least two times per month on topics of quality improvement and assurance.

Quality Improvement (QI)

• Prioritizing, anticipating, and assessing QI needs of each program by identifying strategies for improvement.
• Providing direct practice facilitation and Quality Improvement (QI) education to facilitate service redesign and/or other QI improvements, providing direct QI coaching support to staff, and/or providing support to existing supervisors, with the goal of developing QI capacity of program teams to improve overall quality. Includes training new staff on CQI as needed.
• Supporting quality improvement activities, including tracking of PDSA cycles, CQI project documentation, and providing feedback to staff on improvement

Quality Assurance (QA)

• Coordinating quality efforts related to the development and application of business processes flows and/or rules, strategies, and metrics to identify, monitor, and correct data.
• Working with Healthy Families America (HFA) and Parents as Teachers (PAT) program staff and supervisor/manager on the implementation of setting goals, program evaluation strategies to meet selected best practices and accrediting organization’s standards as required by the HRSA MIECHV program funding. This includes but is not limited to, application, and survey processes and testing quality measure in-built reports.
• Monitoring timeliness, accuracy, and reliability of data entry in the DC Health data management system, DCRS 2.0 and the HV Recruitment Portal.
• Monitoring data through the Data Tracking and Monitoring Reports.
• Training staff in reading reports and quality.
• Performing data validation and logic checks to ensure the accuracy and timely entry of data.

Reporting

The QIAS is responsible for submitting reports to DC Health, their direct supervisors, and others as identified, per DC Health schedule to include:

• QA and QI reports per the reporting schedule
• Cofacilitate presentations on CQI and QA findings at site visits, department meetings, advisory board meetings, and other events as needed.

Quarterly QI Reports

Monitor performance measure data and provide detailed reports to HFA and PAT Managers and DC Health staff. Report documents prepared by QIAS shall include:

• Status of each performance measure
• Areas of strength.
• Areas in need of improvement.
• Plans to address areas in need of improvement utilizing CQI strategies.

Monthly QI Reports

• Monitor screening timeliness data for all screening tools (e.g.PHQ-9, ABI, KIPS, CCI, ASQ-3, ASQ-SE) and provide detailed reports to HFA and PAT Managers and DC Health staff. Report documents prepared by QIAS shall include:
  • Expected number of screenings for each screening tool.
  • Number of expected screenings completed timely.
  • Summary of causes for untimely screenings.
  • Plans to address areas in need of improvement utilizing CQI strategies.

Weekly QI Reports

• Monitor DCRS 2.0 referral data and provide detailed reports to HFA and PAT Managers and DC Health staff. Report documents prepared by QIAS shall include:
  • List of participants who scored high risk on any of the screening tools during the prior week.
  • Status of referrals for each high-risk participant. Note: Referral status from previous weeks should be continuously reported until participant has confirmed that they have received services or have made the decision not to receive services.

Monthly QA Reports

• Monitor recruitment data and provide detailed reports to HFA and PAT Managers and DC Health staff for activity captured during the prior month. Report documents prepared by QIAS shall include:
  • Total number of recruits.
  • Recruit percentage by geographic location (i.e., ward, neighborhood cluster).
  • Total number of recruits screened using HFA screener or another screener as identified.
  • Of those who have been screened, total number of recruits whose screening document has been uploaded.
  • Of those who scored positive on HFA screen, number who have been assessed.
  • Of those who have been assessed, total number whose assessment document has been uploaded.
  • Of those who scored positive on Assessment, total number of recruits who enroll into home visiting.

• Monitor enrollment status data and provide detailed reports to HFA and PAT Managers and DC Health Staff. Report documents prepared by QIAS shall include:
  • Total number of client records with incorrect enrollment status.
  • Total number of children recorded with incorrect enrollment status.

Bi-Monthly QA Reports

• Monitor DCRS for completeness of contact visit data and provide detailed report to HFA and PAT Managers and DC Health staff. Report documents prepared by QIAS shall include:
• Total number of contacts with/without notes.
• Total number of activities during complete contacts.
• Monitor DCRS data for duplicate records and provide detailed reports to HFA and PAT Managers and DC health staff. Report documents prepared by QAS shall include:
• Total number of duplicate client records.
• Total number of duplicate children records.
• Total number of duplicate screening records.

Weekly QA Reports

• Monitor DCRS screening consent data and provide detailed reports to HFA and PAT Managers and DC Health staff. Report documents prepared by QIAS shall include:
  • Total number of clients without screening consent.
  • Total number of clients where screening document does not match DCRS data.

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities –

• Degree in social science research/public health or evaluation field.

One-year experience, two preferred, working in a research/evaluation setting.

• Knowledge and experience in creating and monitoring Continuous Quality Improvement activities, including development of PDSA cycles.
• Graduate degree preferred.
• Experience in developing outcome metrics and leading projects is essential.
• Knowledge of Microsoft applications, advanced Excel skills, communication and presentation abilities including data visualization.
• Basic knowledge of PDSA cycles and methodology, knowledge of health equity principles, and a thorough understanding and working knowledge of patient/client confidentiality issues and HIPAA compliance/regulations is essential including Managed Care evaluative measures.
• Detail-oriented and able to coordinate multiple tasks at once.

Language Requirement – Ability to communicate effectively in English is required. Additional language proficiency or fluency preferred.

Physical Demands – Regularly required to sit; frequently required to reach with hands and arms, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, talk or hear; must be able to lift objects up to twenty-five (25) pounds.

Work Environment – Mostly in a typical office or clinic setting with quiet to moderate noise level. May be exposed to extreme cold, heat, and humidity due to outside weather conditions. Opportunity to work a hybrid schedule – remotely & onsite, as needed.

The Benefits:

• Health Insurance: medical, dental & vision – plus retirement options through 403(b) contribution and investment opportunities
• 25 days of paid leave annually (in addition to paid holidays), plus 5 educational days
• Tuition reimbursement of $2000/year towards education assistance and professional development
• Transportation subsidy via metro & bus
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)