Site Visits

CQT makes ongoing site visits to Maryland’s public behavioral health facilities to interview consumers about the services they receive. CQT currently makes site visits to Psychiatric Rehabilitation Programs (PRPs), state-run psychiatric inpatient facilities, residential treatment facilities for youth, and Wellness and Recovery Centers. Here is an overview of the process:

Intro Meeting

CQT values providers as partners in finding the best way to meet the needs of individual consumers and improve the quality of services provided. Before the first site visit, CQT staff hold an Intro Meeting with the directors and staff at the facility. At the meeting, CQT explains its purpose, learns about the program and services provided, and answers any questions program staff have about the CQT process.

Site Visit

CQT visits sites three to six times each fiscal year; sites receive announced and unannounced visits. CQT may make additional visits to a facility as needed. A site visit is conducted by at least one team of two CQT interviewers.

PRPs

The first three site visits to each PRP and Wellness and Recovery Center are announced. This gives staff, consumers, and CQT the opportunity to establish a good working relationship and a plan for subsequent visits. After the first three site visits, CQT makes a series of both announced and unannounced site visits to each program. CQT coordinates with staff to schedule site visits at times that will not interrupt the day’s programs.

Inpatient Facilities

Visits to adult and youth inpatient facilities are announced and scheduled with facility staff. CQT works with the administration of each facility to determine the best practices for site visit conduct in each unit and building. CQT begins the site visit with an introductory speech to the consumers and staff present that explains the purpose of the visits and encourages consumers to volunteer for interviews.

Qualitative Interviews

In order to facilitate an open discussion with the interviewers, CQT works with the staff on site to arrange a private, safe, and accessible space for interviews to take place.

During the site visit, consumers volunteer to be interviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. Interviews are conducted by a team of two CQT Interviewers. With the permission of the consumer, extensive notes are taken to record as many of the consumer’s exact words as possible. Teams listen non-judgmentally to what consumers choose to share.

Interviews are consumer-focused, consumer-led, and qualitative. CQT does not use a set of interview questions or multiple-choice answers. Instead, CQT asks consumers about how the program works for them: what they like, what they would change or improve, and if they are having problems or need any assistance with meeting their goals. A CQT interview is a conversation between peers and focuses on what the consumer thinks is significant.

In an interview, a consumer may bring up a specific request, problem, or concern. CQT asks the consumer for permission to share their name and request with the senior program staff in the Immediate Site Visit Report. If the consumer does not want to share their name, CQT can report the concern anonymously. Safety concerns are immediately reported with names.

In FY 19, CQT partnered with an epidemiologist to develop a three-question metric that honors their qualitative, consumer-led interviews, while supplementing with quantitative data.

Immediate Site Visit Report

Before they leave the site, CQT meets with the director and/or senior staff of the program, building, or unit. The team shares an overview of consumers’ comments and individual requests; names are only used with expressed permission from consumers. Many general and specific concerns are quickly addressed or resolved by program staff as a result of this meeting.