OADS Clinical Review Team Formation

My LEND (Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) leadership placement is with the DHHS Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS), assisting in establishing and training a clinical review team (CRT) for Section 21 and 29 Medicaid waiver services. Section 21 and 29 fund home and community supports for adults with developmental disabilities or ASD. Supports like these are vital in ensuring that individuals with disabilities are able to lead fulfilling lives. OADS formed a clinical review team to assess the efficiency and appropriateness of the services that are currently being utilized. They are collecting and analyzing data in order to make recommendations for improvement to the Department. I studied the section 21 and 29 rules, shadowed case managers and attended trainings in order to better understand the current program. I was then able to assist in developing training tools for the newly hired CRT. I also assisted with developing a database to enable the staff to quickly see which clients are due for a review. The purpose of this placement was to allow me to develop and apply my leadership skills. One way that I was able to do this at OADS was by helping with the group formation process as new members were added to the CRT over time. I was also challenged by frequently changing goals and objectives and I learned that flexibility is an important leadership skill. I believe that my experience fulfilled the LEND objective for my placement.

Faculty Mentor: Alan Kurtz