Amen Rich.  I trust that Jeff will carry this message forward and advocate on behalf of all us.  I am one who is very grateful that we have a such a talented professional such as Jeff representing us with these matters.  I trust in his leadership....until I don't:)  Seriously, we have the best people representing us and for this I am grateful.   I trust in his advocacy on behalf of all OPRA members and those that receive this advocacy for free..to whom I would love to talk to you.

Jamie

On Feb 6, 2014, at 10:06 PM, Rich Johnson <Rich.Johnson@ViaQuestInc.com<mailto:Rich.Johnson@ViaQuestInc.com>> wrote:

Jeff –

I know you have received a lot of impassioned remarks about the proposed S.B. 270. I have some thoughts to share but thought it best to keep it amongst board members for strategic reasons. I personally believe this legislation may have been crafted with the best intentions but could set a very dangerous course for providers. In addition to the concerns that have already been raised I believe the following issues are equally problematic:

  *   It has been well documented since the beginning of time that the media is only interested in sensationalism and will distort data for their own agenda. To avoid boring you with multiple examples I will use the example of agency size. If the statewide average  of issued citations is 10% per agency and agency A serves 1,000 individuals and receives 50 citations, or 5%, and provider B serves 20 people and receives 10 citations, or 50%, the general public will believe that provider A is a bad provider based upon the sheer number of citations, when in fact they beat statewide averages. Meanwhile provider B is largely ignored when they could represent a greater threat to health and safety of individuals served. Reporting raw numbers without explanation is very dangerous.
  *   This bill will make providers think twice about serving behaviorally challenged people because the probability of receiving more citations increases considerably serving people with unpredictable behaviors.
  *   This bill could have unintended consequences where providers could contemplate not reporting issues, hiding information, falsifying documents, etc. (this is all of the other providers…not OPRA members)
  *   Finally,  Independent providers skate once again because there are so many of them and admittedly, no one polices them.

With this being said, I know that you are on top of this bill and will fight for our rights just like you always do and will work tirelessly to mitigate a negative result.  Now, the real reason for my e-mail.

IS THERE A WAY TO TURN THIS LEGISLATION INTO A STRATEGIC AND BRAND ADVANTAGE FOR OPRA?

The problem with our system is that anyone with a pulse can become a provider and our system is flooded with providers who should never have been granted certification…especially Independent Providers. What if OPRA proposes an amendment to this bill that makes the requirements to become an agency provider as well as independent provider much more difficult? This would be a groundbreaking move that would put OPRA front and center fighting for quality services, while dealing with the issue of too many providers on our system. Among other things, we would propose that no one is grandfathered in and everyone has to be recertified, which would be no problem for OPRA members.

I really believe this could be a great opportunity to do something groundbreaking!! Thanks Jeff

Rich Johnson
President/CEO
ViaQuest, Inc.
525 Metro Place N, Suite 300
Dublin, OH 43017
Phone: 614.339.0813
Assistant (Lindsey):  614.339.0820
Fax: 614.339.1813
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