Connections - 10.31.19

Across the Board: A Strategic Vision for ANCOR’s Next 5 Years

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If you joined us in Portland, Oregon, this spring for ANCOR’s 2019 Annual Conference, you’ll recall our theme was Bridges to Better Outcomes. More than catchy tagline, we hoped to embody the reason behind much of the work we’ve been doing over the last few years. We didn’t realize it at the time, but we were also forecasting our strategic blueprint for 2020-2024.

ANCOR’s Board of Directors finalized the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan during its September monthly Board call with little discussion, probably since they had spent the last several months digesting the work done by ANCOR staff, four subgroups in the spring of 2019, and the feedback you gave us during our summer Virtual Town Hall and via the online survey. This renewed vision would not be possible without the input of so many ANCOR members, so thank you again to all who contributed for helping to shape the vision and direction of your national association.

So, what does the strategic blueprint look like? Nothing in the document will catch ANCOR members by surprise. In it, we:

  • Double down on our commitment to influence responsible public policy and work tirelessly to obtain resources to attract, expand and retain a quality workforce.
  • Took what used to be our third strategic priority and fleshed it out into two distinct goals. The purpose of this move was to send a clearer message about our commitment to being a resource to our members in the here and now, and that we have every intention of shaping the future of service delivery models and measures together with you.

I honestly hadn’t thought of this until writing this piece, but Bridges to Better Outcomes would make an awfully good title for the Strategic Plan. Perhaps we’re onto something.

With the new Strategic Plan finalized as our “north stars,” the ANCOR Board of Directors used it during its October meeting to gather intel around the development of outcome measures. We invited George Klauser, CEO of Altair and a participant in one of the Business Acumen Center’s Learning Collaboratives to speak to some of the lessons learned during the Collaborative, and to share some ideas about how the lessons learned could be the foundation for our future efforts now that our grant from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) has officially wound down.

During the Board meeting, Directors also spent time with NASDDDS, including CEO Mary Sowers and Quality & Innovation Officer Mary Lou Bourne, to further reflect on the ACL Business Acumen Grant and how the grant’s work could influence quality outcome measures. Mary Sowers used the term “measurement mania” to describe CMS activity in a fledgling area where there hasn’t been consensus around which outcomes are most meaningful and what should be measured.

There were a few additional highlights from this action-packed Board meeting as well:

  • In addition to these candid discussions about what constitutes “quality,” the Government Relations team provided updates on pending legislation, the successful ANCOR DC PAC event with Congressman Guthrie held the same week as the Board meeting, and a well-attended Congressional Briefing on the HCBS infrastructure Act hosted by ANCOR and the Office of U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI).
  • ANCOR’s Governance Committee presented additional Board Policy, revisions which were ultimately approved.
  • ANCOR Foundation President Chris Stevenson joined the Board to give a recap of a successful year for Included. Supported. Empowered., the Foundation’s three-year public awareness campaign.

The Board’s next meeting is tomorrow, November 1, when Directors will review the association’s 2020 budget. The next in-person meeting of the Board will be in Austin, Texas, in February 2020. Members are always welcome to sit in on portions of ANCOR Board meetings—if you’re interested in attending a future Board meeting, contact Jerri McCandless to confirm location, time and availability of space.