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Project Description:
"Building
a Better Ombudsman Program" has been used to describe the program's goal to
evaluate the effectiveness of the ombudsman program and plan for the future. The
goal was established in 1999 at an aging network retreat and is the fourth
priority in the State Plan on Aging. We established a 13-member work group
comprised of AAA directors, a non-AAA sponsoring agency director,
ombudsman program directors, state unit on aging staff, and state ombudsman
staff.
Objectives
include conducting a thorough assessment of the program using the IoM study
recommendations as benchmarks, streamlining the data reporting system, refining
outcome measurements, evaluating the feasibility of expanding the program into
other areas such as managed care, increasing the visibility of the program, and
revising the ombudsman program administrative rules. The project is in the
middle of the second year of a four-year plan.
Impact:
We expect that this comprehensive evaluation of the
program will tighten up areas on which we haven't put much focus historically
and will enable the network of ombudsman and AAAs to better understand and
better articulate our mission. For example, AAAs are becoming more aware of
issues such as independence and conflict of interest and the participants have
tackled tough issues such as establishing minimum staffing requirements for the
program (1:2000 as recommended by the IoM).
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