Webinar description
This webinar will help attendees understand the motivation and methodology of the 2019 PASRR National Report as well as highlight key findings.

Takeaways
Attendees will:
• Understand the Quality Monitoring/Quality Improvement (QM/QI) process as it relates to collected PASRR program data
• Understand the process for assembling QA/QI data
• Review the key findings of the PASRR program QA/QI data
• Understand the Minimum Data Set (MDS) data as it relates to PASRR
• Review the key findings of the MDS data

Speaker bio
Ed Kako

For more than 10 years, Dr. Edward Kako has specialized in projects whose aim is to improve the availability, accessibility, and sustainability of home and community-based services (HCBS) throughout the country. In his capacity as Senior Associate at Mission Analytics Group, he has directed projects to provide technical assistance around a variety of HCBS programs, primarily those financed by Medicaid. For example, he directed technical assistance to states under the Balancing Incentive Program; with a focus on building out participants’ No Wrong Door systems. He has helped coordinate and provide TA to states looking to add HCBS programs or enhance existing ones under a variety of Medicaid authorities. He has also worked with the state of Colorado to help streamline their existing set of waivers and explore the costs implications of adopting a 1915(k) state plan option. In California, Dr. Kako has also worked with the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) to develop a strategic plan to expand their existing network, and with the State Independent Living Council (SILC) to draft their triennial State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL), which has included options counseling and person-centered planning. Currently he is Mission Analytics Project Director for TA to states working to comply with the HCBS Settings Rule. He also directed a project to study the implementation of the Department of Labor (DOL) home care rule on the availability of self-directed home care services. He currently serves as the Director of the PASRR Technical Assistance Center. Currently Dr. Kako directs a project for the Administration for Community Living (ACL) designed to help states work with community-based organizations (CBOs) and their partners to increase their business capacity so they can better address social determinants of health.

Dr. Kako hold a PhD in experimental psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MSc in Community and Regional Planning from Temple University.