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RESEARCH SERVICES
Kinetic Flow has:
- Vast experience working with, and an understanding of, the developmental disabilities community, especially in California;
- A long history of providing accurate, relevant research and data management;
- Extensive qualitative and quantitative research experience; and
- A unique ability to combine private business practices with non-profit and governmental environments, providing clients with organizational development and strategic planning resources that are invaluable.
Kinetic Flow has conducted interviews with more than 16,000 Californians with developmental disabilities, or those at risk of developing disabilities, and their families; over 1,000 employees of regional centers; nearly 1,400 private and non-profit service providers who contract with regional centers; and more than 1,000 interviews with community stakeholders, such as state and federal agencies. Additionally, Kinetic Flow is actively monitoring quality assurance with self-determination demonstration programs in Arkansas, District of Columbia, Louisiana, and Oregon, via consumer/family interviews, provider interviews, and review of state measures. All research plans, tools, data collection methodologies, analysis and reports are custom designed for each client and based on an organization’s individual goals and needs and focus on being person (respondent) centered. Results from these studies have been used to provide information for empowered consumer choice, further self-determination efforts, direct organizational development, quality improvements and increased efficiencies.
In addition, Kinetic Flow has been actively involved, on a volunteer basis, in working to develop case studies for regional center quality assurance models, to develop a model for creating or setting (when necessary) self-determination budget projections to help organizations more accurately forecast individual and agency-level budgets, and work closely with service providers to increase their effectiveness and efficiency in meeting their goals.
Kinetic Flow’s services are customized to best utilize our resources and our clients, providing information services that are cost-effective and time-efficient. While each project is personalized to the organization’s needs and resources, information and research services may include:
- Analysis
- Cost Analysis and Projected Budgeting
- Data Collection (qualitative and quantitative) – telephone (CATI, TATI, RDD), mail, in-person (one-on-one or focus group), on-line (e-mail or web-based, intercepts, Delphi studies, etc.
- Data Processing and Management
- Information Management
- Methodology Design and Development
- Project Coordination and Management
- Quality Assurance
- Reporting/Presentation of Results
- Survey Design and Development
- Statistical Analysis
- Strategic Planning and Organizational Development
- Training and Coaching
Health and Human Service organizations have used these services to:
- Gauges organizational performance;
- Measures the cost effectiveness of programs;
- Assess quality of life and satisfaction outcomes, including consumer, family, service coordinator, and service provider satisfaction; and
- Measure individual outcomes.
How Kinetic Flow’s client-based research services work:
Recent Projects. During the past few years, staff of Kinetic Flow have conducted the following research projects; information on studies conducted before this are available upon request.
| Project(s): | 2005 San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center Satisfaction Survey Process Redesign |
| Project Description: |
Following recommendations made by Kinetic Flow during the San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center Satisfaction Survey Process Review, Kinetic Flow is working with SGPRC to redesign their complete internal survey process, including a Consumer Satisfaction Survey, the Intake Survey and period specialty surveys. |
| Project(s): | 2005 San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center Satisfaction Survey Process Review |
| Project Description: |
San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center has for the past ten years utilized a satisfaction survey process that is informal and has not yielded the response or actionable data needed by the organization. In 2005, SGPRC asked Kinetic Flow to provide a complete review of their current processes and results and make recommendations for redesign. Work included assessment of current processes and documents, and stakeholder interviews, as well as extensive secondary research. |
| Project(s): | 2005-2006 District of Columbia Consumer-Directed Services Program Pilot |
| Project Description: |
Through a grant with CMS, the District of Columbia is conducting a consumer-directed services program pilot. Kinetic Flow is working with the District to manage consulting work being conducted by the Oregon Technical Assistance Corporation, and is responsible for assessing satisfaction and outcomes of the pilot as well as making recommendations for wider implementation. |
| Project(s): | 2005-2007 State of Louisiana Rebalancing Initiative |
| Project Description: |
In an aggressive effort to decrease the population of its developmental centers, the State of Louisiana has partnered with the Oregon Technical Assistance Corporation and Kinetic Flow to provide expert guidance, project management and assessment of the states rebalancing initiative. |
| Project(s): | 2004-2007 California Department of Developmental Services Consumer Satisfaction Pilot |
| Project Description: |
Contracting through the San Andreas Regional Center, the California Department of Developmental Services is conducting a two-year pilot project using the HSRI NCI tool, with data collected by the staff of Kinetic Flow. For this project, Kinetic Flow staff is conducting interviews of 1000 adults with developmental disabilities via in-person interviews and 400 families of adults with developmental disabilities by mail surveys. |
| Project(s): | 2002-05 State of California Council on Developmental Disabilities merger with Area Boards on Developmental Disabilities |
| Project Description: |
Amended Senate Bill 1630 was chaptered into California State Law on September 18, 2002. This law means substantial changes for both the State Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Area Boards on Developmental Disabilities. The directors for the Council and the Area Boards have been working together to strategically plan for this merger. As part of this planning process, and to guide the merger, the group is interested in hearing from its stakeholders. In an effort to best gather this input, the group would like to conduct a short survey of its many stakeholders to gauge their feelings about the strengths and weaknesses of both groups, and how best to continue as a stronger more responsive organization. Measurement of these issues are being gathered through multiple data collection mediums and address the concerns of numerous stakeholders. |
| Project(s): | 2003-2005 Oregon Empowerment Initiative Brokerage |
| Project Description: |
In the first mental health brokerage in the United States, the Oregon Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse conducted a pilot program for self-directed services psychiatric survivors. Kinetic Flow is working with the state and brokerage to measure the effects of the pilot and provide guidance for wider implementation. |
| Project(s): | 2002-05 State of Arkansas PASS Grant to Explore New Service Delivery Models, |
| Project Description: |
In collaboration with the Oregon Technical Assistance Corporation, staff of Kinetic Flow were contract with to reviewing and assessing community input and conducting additional quality assurance and feedback efforts surrounding the piloting of One-Stop centers in Arkansas. |
| Project(s): | 2004 Valley Mountain Regional Center Day Program Assessment |
| Project Description: |
Innovative day program activities continue to be a challenge for California; in one effort to assess current needs and unmet needs, Valley Mountain Regional Center conducted, with Kinetic Flow staff, interviews of over 250 adults with developmental disabilities. Interviews were conducted in multiple languages through telephone interviews. |
| Project(s): | 2003, 2005 Community Options Inc. Service Delivery Review |
| Project Description: |
As California’s first Family Home Agency, Community Options, Inc. (COI), has been providing adults with developmental disabilities with family homes since 1995. Today, COI serves approximately 49 individuals. As part of their new performance contract, and as part of their strategic plan, Kinetic Flow staff partnered with COI to conduct their 2002-03 Service Delivery Review and 2005 Service Delivery Review. This review assessed overall satisfaction with COI’s service and service delivery. For this effort, Ms. Sullivan conducted six focus groups with family home providers and respite staff, conducted six management interviews, 60 consumer interviews, 40 family interviews and 50 regional center staff surveys. Information from this study provided insights into areas for improvements, best practices and resource allocation, as well as highlight differences in performance by perspective, geographic area and case manager. The effort was repeated in 2005. |
| Project(s): | 2002 Self-Determination Statistical Cost Modeling |
| Project Description: |
Setting Self-Determination Budgets for people with developmental disabilities and their families has historically been problematic in systems where costs of services have been systematically constrained because of budget considerations. As a service to the national developmental services community, a team of researchers, including Ms. Sullivan, undertook correlation and regression analysis of the data set of a mid-size California Regional Center to investigate service cost centers and trends in individual budgets for children and adults with developmental disabilities. |
| Project(s): | 2002-03 Tri-Counties Regional Center Strategic Planning, Organizational Development and Service Improvement Effort |
| Project Description: |
As the Developmental Disabilities Services in California undergo changes in cost-modeling, service design, service delivery options and management, Tri-Counties Regional Center has taken a proactive stance on changing with the system. To meet these trends and changes, TCRC has hired Ms. Sullivan to provide service improvement expertise, strategic planning and organizational development services, including Employee Satisfaction, Consumer Satisfaction and consulting services. |
| Project(s): | 2002-03 North Los Angeles County Regional Center Individuals Commuting to Work |
| Project Description: |
As one effort to gain further cost savings, while still serving the most number of consumers possible and providing safe services, NLACRC is interested in exploring new, safe and cost-effective alternatives for getting individuals to and from work, as well as for assisting in transporting people in the community. Additionally, this web-based provider study seeks to assess current safeguards for service providers transporting consumers in the community, identify appropriate safeguards and provide suggestions to both service providers and the regional center to make transportation as safe, appropriate and cost-effective as possible. |
| Project(s): | 2002-03, 2004 Tri-Counties Regional Center Employee Satisfaction Study |
| Project Description: |
In 2002, the Tri-Counties Association for Developmentally Disabled (TCADD) and Tri-Counties Regional Center (TCRC) management placed a priority on Employee Satisfaction and Turnover. In order to meet this priority, staff of Kinetic Flow was retained to conduct the 2002 Tri-Counties Regional Center Employee Satisfaction Study. Staff of Kinetic Flow conducted Web-based surveys with all TCRC employees. This study gauged overall satisfaction of Tri-Counties Regional Center employees, including service coordination, administrative, and support staff with the goal of maintaining and improving Organizational Development, Human Resources, and Quality Assurance. This effort was repeated in 2004. |
| Project(s): | 2002-03 Alta California Regional Center Satisfaction Studies: Consumer/Service Provider |
| Project Description: |
In 2001, the Board of Directors and management of ACRC adopted a number of strategies to improve services for consumers and families supported by the regional center. To support Board of Directors and the community in achieving their goals, ACRC has hired Ms. Sullivan to conduct 650 interviews with consumers 400 and interviews with service providers. Information gathered during these interviews will help ACRC to know how consumers, family members and service providers feel about the services and supports provided by ACRC. Further, this information will allow ACRC to make improvements the community would like to see and allow ACRC staff to better meet the community’s needs. |
| Project(s): | 2001-02, 2003-04, 2005 Tri-Counties Regional Center Consumer Satisfaction/Quality of Life Studies |
| Project Description: |
Continuing with TCRC’s strategic goal of measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and consumer outcomes and satisfaction of all regional center purchased and provided services and supports, staff of Kinetic Flow measured outcome indicators and consumer satisfaction with residential services and service coordination in 2001-02. In meeting these objectives, Kinetic Flow staff interviewed more than 1600 individuals and families, as well as conducted informal focus groups. Results of this study were used to gauge residential service provider performance, inform regional center staff, consumers, providers and the community of areas for improvement, as well as promising practices, and assist the regional center in annual pay-per-performance bonus programs. |
| Project(s): | 2002 California Department of Developmental Services: Performance Contract Pilot Project: Consumer/Family and Service Provider Satisfaction Studies |
| Project Description: |
In 2001, the Department of Developmental Services began working with the six regional centers to develop an outcomes-based performance development and evaluation cycle for California’s Developmental Services System. Their goal was to align Regional Center performance outcomes with the Service Delivery Reform Committee’s recommendations to enhance the consumer service quality outcomes, person-centered quality assurance, and continuous quality improvement. To meet this goal, the group developed and implemented a redesigned Performance Contract, in which outcomes are specific to Lanterman Act purposes and responsive to the System Reform Committee’s recommendations. This Pilot Performance Contract integrated service outcome measurements (including satisfaction) with State/Federal formal evaluations and Regional Center financial performance. Staff of Kinetic Flow partnered with the Department and participating regional centers to measure consumer/family and service provider satisfaction. For this effort, staff of Kinetic Flow conducted 3,443 interviews with primary and secondary consumers and 901 interviews with service providers. |
| Project(s): | 2002 California Department of Developmental Services: Early Start Program: Family Satisfaction Survey |
| Project Description: |
In an effort to meet the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Program’s monitoring and auditing oversight of California’s implementation of Part C of IDEA, the Department of Developmental Services partnered with Ms. Sullivanw to conduct the 2001 Early Start Program: Family Satisfaction Study. Kinetic Flow staff conducted 1,706 interviews with families and care providers of children receiving services under Part C. The information gathered looks at communication, IFSPs, service coordination and delivery, service quality and quantity, and transition planning. Further, this information will assist DDS in preparing for OSEP’s review, and evaluate and plan Early Start Program services and oversight. |
Recent Presentations and Publications. Kinetic Flow’s staff has had the honor of consulting on a number of projects, presenting to state and national audiences and has a number of publications:
- Sullivan, Ami and Turkington, Ivy, A Quality Assurance System for the Human Services: Tri-Counties Regional Center – A Case Study, January 2003
- Sullivan, Ami and Turkington, Ivy, Self-Determination Preliminary Budget Setting Cost-Center Analysis and Prospective Budgeting Model, November 2002
- Sullivan, Ami, Program Evaluation: When, How, Why, and Oops! University of Southern California, Department of Occupational Therapy, November 2002
- Sullivan, Ami, and Turkington, Ivy, Satisfaction in Context Part II: A Case Study of Consumer/Family Satisfaction Surveys. (Pending Publication in American Association on Mental Retardation Peer Review Journal), July 2002
- Sullivan, Ami, and Turkington, Ivy, Satisfaction in Context: Part I: Assessing Consumer/Family Satisfaction with Services. (Pending Publication in American Association on Mental Retardation Peer Review Journal), July 2002
- Sullivan, Ami, and Turkington, Ivy, My Life Path…The Need for Information to Empower Decision-Making, American Association of Mental Retardation 125th Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, June 2002
- Sullivan, Ami, and Turkington, Ivy, A Quick Guide to Research Practices, Handout for American Association of Mental Retardation 125th Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, June 2002
- Sullivan, Ami and Conroy, Jim, PhD, Quality Bah! Where is the “Consumer Reports” Paradigm in Our Field? TASH Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA, November 2001
- Sullivan, Ami, Consumers First Through Service, Advocacy, Respect and Choice. Association of Regional Center Agencies, Manhattan Beach, CA, November 2001
- Sullivan, Ami, The State of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities in California Today. Association of Regional Center Agencies, Manhattan Beach, CA, November 2001
- Sullivan, Ami, Nerney, Thomas, Conroy, James, Vining, Vickie, Redefining Quality: Imagining a Life Comprised of Normal Rhythms and Flow of Contemporary Society Today, A Collaborative Concept, April 2001
