Posted on February 24, 2025

By Rebecca Kasey, CQL Director of Personal Outcome Measures®

The Personal Outcome Measures^® (POM) is a process that involves an interview with a person receiving services and an interview with a person who knows them best, measurement about the presence of personally-defined outcomes and supports, and sharing the information learned. Through the Personal Outcome Measures^®, people receiving services share what really matters to them, including their hopes and aspirations. Organizations can then use that information to evaluate the quality of their services, become more responsive, and improve the quality of people’s lives and the quality of services overall. 

Many organizations may struggle with how to share the information they learn from a POM interview with the person receiving services or with the organization more broadly. In this Capstone, we provide practical examples and success stories from CQL’s partners on how to share information to transform services and systems. 

CQL interviewed several partner organizations in the United States and Canada to discuss what they do with information they learn from a POM interview and how this information is used for transformation. A special thanks to all of CQL’s partner organizations that contributed to this article: 

• Curtis Overcash, Training and Accreditation Specialist, InReach (North Carolina)
• Jasmine Black, DRS Director of Quality; Hannah Palbicki, DRS Quality Manager; Angie Collins, DRS Statewide Director of Training & Quality, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (Minnesota)
• Jennifer Dance, Community Engagement Manager, and Alefe Guerra Lopes, Quality Enhancement Coordinator, Community Living Oakville (CLO), (Ontario)
• Sharon Anderson, Director of Quality and Strategic Initiatives, Ray Graham Association (RGA), (Illinois)
• Stacey Forest, Service Development & Outcomes Specialist, Epic Opportunities (Manitoba)

Use of POM Across Organizations and Systems

Organizations and services systems use the POM tool in different ways to improve services and systems. Curtis Overcash, Training and Accreditation Specialist at InReach in North Carolina explains that the organization uses POM data “in developing processes, procedures, and policies for the organization,” and as part of the formal planning process with people supported. InReach has also created the position of ‘Outcome Specialist’ to have someone specifically work with people receiving services on the indicators that are not present and provide them with support to assist them in meeting their outcomes.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota uses the POM for people who start services at their organization, while also conducting random interviews across services to ensure quality is continuous. As Jasmine Black, Hannah Palbicki, and Angie Collins from Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota explain, “by leveraging the data from POM conversations, we continuously strive to improve our services and support.” 

Community Living Oakville in Ontario uses the POM tool to also improve services and supports, as Jennifer Dance and Alefe Guerra Lopes explain, CLO uses “data from POM interviews to guide service delivery, shape individual plans, and direct our fundraising efforts. The data we obtain enables us to prioritize initiatives that have the greatest impact on improving quality of life, ensuring that our supports remain responsive, meaningful, and effective.” The organization created the CLO Outcomes Fund in 2023, where people can apply for money to reach a certain goal in their life and CLO prioritizes the areas as an organization where they see the need for greatest opportunity. 

Ray Graham Association (RGA) uses the POM to inform the Discovery Tool and Person-Centered Plan, while also specifically assisting their staff with implementation strategies, person-specific documents, and assessments. Sharon Anderson, Director of Quality and Strategic Initiatives, explains how RGA uses the POM to inform the organization, explaining that POM data is “entered into CQL’s PORTAL Data System, enabling year-to-year comparisons of POM outcomes and supports, as well as assessments of social capital and social determinants of health.” The organization also uses this to inform their quality monitoring and reporting, measuring Basic Assurances^® priorities, efforts, and progress annually. 

Epic Opportunities also uses the POM in person-centered planning, with Stacey Forest explaining that “any areas of opportunity identified by the person – their highlights, their hopes, dreams, and desires – are all used to invite a conversation with their support network to determine what supports are needed to realize their goal.” 

While the POM is used in a variety of ways, each organization focuses on how the information can improve services and supports for people and improve greater quality of services at the organization. 

Involving the Person in Sharing Information  

A key to sharing information learned from the POM interview is to ensure the person supported is involved and determines how this information should be used in improving their services. Each of the providers interviewed explains how they share the information they learned from the POM with the person and how that information was relayed to the teams.

InReach

InReach ensures that they ask the person prior to conducting the POM interview how the person would like the information shared with their teams. During the POM conversation, the interviewers also will ask the person “about specifics that can be shared with their support team, sharing only those things with which the person is comfortable.” After the conversation, the data is entered into their agency’s electronic health record (EHR) system where they can message, email, and print the interview findings to be shared with the person and support team. 

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota

LSS ensures that the person can meet with the POM interviewer to review the interview and summary, while being able to involve anyone they want in this review process. They will receive a copy of the summary and can share it with whoever they wish. The summary is often used prior to the annual meeting when forming goals for plans. The organization uses the POM information for comprehensive and aggregate review for overall quality improvement initiatives. 

Community Living Oakville

Community Living Oakville asks for consent on sharing specific details with their teams prior to the interview. Depending on the information the person may want to share, the information is uploaded to their platform. This information is used to guide conversations during their support plan meetings to discuss goals, services, and present options for changes. 

Ray Graham Association

At Ray Graham Association, the POM interviewer meets with the person and their team to discuss results from the interview and identify areas of opportunity for the person. Within six months of that meeting, the person will have a meeting with their QIDP to discuss progress and next steps.

Epic Opportunities

In the spirit of “nothing about us, without us,” Epic Opportunities provides a POM Interview Summary directly to the person. The organization will share the Summary only with those the person chooses, and has found that when they can share information with a person’s support network, it can provide “an opportunity for everyone to come together to not only celebrate the person and offer support where needed, but also attempt to break down any barriers that continue to stand in their way.” 

Sharing Data and Information More Broadly

Organizations may shine at sharing information amongst teams but can oftentimes struggle when sharing information more broadly. CQL has several resources for organizations that may be struggling to bring their data together, including a webinar on Putting Organizational Data Into Action and an article with wonderful practical tips, Sparking Organizational Change Through Data. The contributing partner to this article also describe how they share their POM data more broadly. 

InReach

InReach has the position of Outcome Specialist, they use data in policy and procedure development, and ensure the POM is a key part of training. They also use POM data for trend analysis to make changes to services and provide education to all stakeholders including natural supports. In addition, they have created a Best Practice Committee with people receiving services and direct support staff to review trends of data including POM data.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota

Quarterly POM data is shared with an internal Quality Enhancement Workgroup using the reports function from CQL’s PORTAL Data System. The data is linked to social determinants of health because the organization “recognizes it as crucial information reflecting how we support individuals in living self-directed lives and directly relating to their quality of life.” The areas of greatest opportunity become goals and initiatives to work toward continuous improvement for services and supports. 

Community Living Oakville

POM interview data is used to identify areas of opportunity that may need additional support and resources. The organization then prioritizes these outcomes when approving applications for the Outcomes Fund. The organization also uses POM data to improve trainings, and identify quality gaps and opportunities. The data also allows the organization to review and refine individual service plans to ensure they “align with personal goals and aspirations, making plans more reflective of what truly matters to the person.” 

Ray Graham Association

Data from POM interviews is entered into CQL’s PORTAL Data System, so that RGA can conduct year-to-year comparisons of the outcomes and supports. The organization also uses this information to review social capital data and social determinants of health data. POM data is included in their quality monitoring efforts and reporting, as well as their Basic Assurances^® monitoring and priorities. Along with that, the organization shares general successes about POM with their self-advocacy council and their Human Rights Committee.

Epic Opportunities

POM interview data is used at a very individual level at the organization. As they deepen their use of POM, they hope to grow and learn more by “engaging the voices of the people we serve to drive future service development.” 

Success Stories of Service Transformation

InReach

InReach discovered that a person wanted to work during a POM interview and through “connecting the dots,” they were able to assist him in getting a job at a café. He has become such an integral part of this company that they have included his image on the side of a company van!

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota

LSS found out that a person wanted to regain their own guardianship, relocate to an area with more employment opportunities, and secure a competitive and integrated job. The person was provided support to successfully advocate for dissolving guardianship to assume legal decision-making rights again, and move to another location while still maintaining needed support. They also just had a job interview!

Community Living Oakville

Using the Outcomes Fund, a person receiving services had a close friend living in another province and they applied for funding to cover the cost of their trip to visit their friend. The application was approved, he was able to have a reunion with his friend and fly for the first time ever in June 2024! 

Ray Graham Association

After a POM Interview, the person and their team worked on several areas mentioned and the resulting transformation has been remarkable:

• Works with a job coach and has had interviews
• Exercises more control over finances and money
• Changed how she spends her day in the community and at a day program, customizing her schedule
• Supported to move into a new and more accessible home
• Joined a self-advocacy council
• Became more involved in a travel club and is going on a ski trip soon
• Spends more time with friends
• Receives manicures

Epic Opportunities

During a POM Interview, a person supported expressed how “devaluing it felt to have things like fire escape plans on display in their home.” The Provincial Licensing Standards required this in homes receiving services but was not something people typically had in homes. After the POM interview, the person was supported to challenge those practices and successfully advocated for changes in their home.

Final Thoughts

The POM process is important, and it is not complete until the information learned through the interviews has been relayed back to the person and if desired, their teams. If only the conversations occur in this process, and the information is shared solely at the top levels of an agency, it will not change a person’s life or services directly.

CQL’s partner organizations provided valuable information on how they use the Personal Outcome Measures^®, how they share this information with the person and more broadly, and how the POM has led to real changes in the lives of people receiving services.

Each of the partner organizations discussed how they ensure this information is used to transform services and also affect greater changes across the organization, through unique and innovative ways. Along with learning from their perspectives, experiences, and insights, you can also check out these resources and information about the POM and related topics, to help guide you in your journey:

Useful Resources and Information

• Personal Outcome Measures® Benchmarks: 2024
• POM Resources: Latest Releases and Long-Time Favorites
• Leveraging The Power of the POM
• Person-Centered Planning & the POM
• Essential Skills for Quality POM Interviews
• Measure Specifications for the Personal Outcome Measures^®
• Putting Organizational Data into Action
• Sparking Organizational Change Through Data