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​Independent Monitoring for Quality

Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) is an information-gathering method the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) uses to improve the lives of individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability. Independent teams monitor the satisfaction and outcomes of a random sample of individuals receiving services statewide. Information is used to ensure that people are healthy and safe and to offer services that promote choice and control in their everyday lives.

Here's how it works

Individuals who are receiving services are asked if an IM4Q team can interview them. They can choose whether or not to participate.

    • The interview team can meet the individual where he or she feels most comfortable: at home or day program, for example.
    • The team, typically two or three people, has at least one member who is either an individual with a disability or a family member of an individual with a disability.
    • The team is independent, which means they are not from ODP, the county, or the individual's provider.

With the individual's permission, the team will ask a series of questions. Topics include:

    • Satisfaction
    • Dignity, respect, & rights
    • Emergency preparation
    • Employment
    • Relationships
    • Inclusion
    • Choice and control

If the person being interviewed consents, the team will share their answers, as well as those of family members or paid staff, with the county MH/ID program for appropriate action. Combined, anonymous data reports are then used in many ways:

    • They are shared with ODP and its stakeholders for continuous quality improvement by ODP, Administrative Entities, and provider quality groups.
    • An IM4Q Steering Committee of ODP stakeholders identifies system improvement recommendations for action and submits them to ODP's Information Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC), which serves as ODP's stakeholder quality council.
    • ODP, in conjunction with the ISAC, prioritizes opportunities for system improvements, then disseminates these priorities to the field.
    • ODP and the ISAC use a data-based approach to implement, monitor, and evaluate changes to achieve system improvements.

For more information on local independent monitoring programs or reports, contact the Intellectual Disabilities Customer Service Line.