Section 641.130  Quality Improvement Standards

The Center, in conjunction with the school district and/or MCE, will develop and implement a quality improvement program that monitors and evaluates the appropriateness, effectiveness and accessibility to the services it provides; the quality of services provided to the students; and the positive/negative health outcome effects.

a)         A quality improvement plan with clearly-defined goals, objectives and work plan will be established, approved by the appropriate governing body and reviewed annually.

b)         The quality improvement plan shall identify who is responsible for monitoring and evaluation and for the data management quarterly report.  The quarterly report shall, at a minimum, provide the following information:

1)         Number of students served (unduplicated)

2)         Sex

3)         Age

4)         Race

5)         Number of Center encounters

6)         Year-to-date Center enrollment

7)         Type of services rendered

8)         Medical referrals and outcomes

9)         Social Service referrals and outcomes

10)         Delivery and outcome information i.e., type of delivery, birth weight, Apgar scores and maternal and infant complications)

11)         Dental referrals and outcomes.

c)         A copy of the quarterly report must be submitted to the Department within 30 days after the end of the quarter.

d)         A qualified individual will be designated as the person responsible for the implementation of each quality improvement plan.

e)         The Center must comply with the data collection requirements of outside regulatory agencies, as well as the insurers or MCEs of their students.  This data will include, but not be limited to the delivery of preventive health care services according to the EPSDT periodicity schedule; immunizations and prenatal care; decrease in absenteeism; inappropriate emergency room utilization; violence; increase in high school graduation; pregnancy; infant mortality; member satisfaction; and rates of student drop out.  Outcome studies related to teen pregnancies, school attendance, substance use, STD rates, and repeat pregnancies also will be completed.

f)         Quality improvement efforts will be based on findings from the quality measurement activities.  Corrective action plans will be required and implemented by the Department.

g)         Quality improvement activities shall be continuous.