Quarterly Data Quality – Beyond the Expected

For some people, a bonus might be the extra fries at the bottom of the bag. For others, a bonus might be a great day that ends with a message from an old friend. For Quarterly Data Quality (QDQ), an unintended bonus of the new Monitoring Plan is increased involvement and increased data quality. For example, look at what happened at the start of 2021.

In January and February, agencies ran their QDQ reports and cleaned up some data. By March they submitted scores to the QDQ Portal.  The new QDQ Monitoring Process kicked in at that point. The CoC Coordinators and State Funding Partners chose a score category to focus on for a select group of providers. In this case, it was Emergency Shelters and Transitional Housing. A score category was chosen (Completeness of data) and a high and low score threshold was established (95% for high and 75% for low).

Providers that scored above 95% were recognized for their accomplishments. Providers that scored below 75% were contacted and given some options for training, options for meetings, and ways to self-reflect and look for process improvements.

There were 52 providers statewide that were below the 75% threshold and were contacted and given the options described.

As has been said before, true success is not accomplishing a goal on one’s first attempt, but rather making mistakes, learning from them, and then improving. The providers who scored high on their first attempt are certainly due for recognition. However, we don’t want to overlook the fact that, of the 52 providers that scored below the threshold in March, 29 of them (56%) actually improved their scores in the next quarter! Additionally, of those 29, 12 had scores that would put them above the 75% threshold (including some that were now above the 95% threshold).

Again and again, Minnesota HMIS users show new ways in which they turn situations around to benefit the families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Data isn’t everything. It doesn’t tell the whole story. But quality data can play an important role in the story of getting housing for the people that need it. We’re thankful for the many steps taken to improve upon data quality in HMIS. Even if it isn’t the easiest thing to do at first, your efforts show and can make a big difference.

The next cycle of Quarterly Data Quality review, correction, and submission is open now through Wednesday, August 11, for data from April 1 – June 30.

To learn more about the QDQ Monitoring Plan, click here. To learn more about QDQ requirements, visit https://www.hmismn.org/data-quality.