Why Are You Here?
In this series about CalMHSA staff, we offer a profile of our colleagues and why they’ve chosen to contribute to the work we do.
Meet Dawn Kaiser, MSW, LCSW, CPHQ, Senior Director of Analytics & Insights
When Dawn Kaiser, CalMHSA’s senior director of analytics & insights, was studying toward her clinical degree, she often found herself thinking, “How can I design programs that help broader cohorts of people who need care?” At CalMHSA, she’s been working toward exactly that for more than three years.
Originally the senior director of managed care operations, Dawn now leads a new team focused on developing a suite of analytic products that will support counties in optimizing their operational and fiscal performance while improving clinical services and the spread of best practices.
Analyses will include equity and outcome indicators, allowing counties to view data at levels of granularity that range from the individual to the population level. Additionally, this team supports counties with HEDIS measure calculation and related performance improvement projects, as well as EHR reporting and dashboarding efforts.
“A lot of behavioral health information has been kind of in a black box, but with our EHR we take these numbers out of that black box so it’s possible for counties to review their performance and outcomes benchmarked against that of other counties,” Dawn said.
CalMHSA’s focus on analytics and insights includes a recognition that, as of this year, counties have new requirements under the comprehensive quality strategy as well as a new external quality review organization (EQRO) to respond to. CalMHSA is interfacing with DHCS and the new EQRO, and supporting counties in their measure validation and additional review activities.
In addition to her role at CalMHSA engaging with counties on CalAIM implementation, BHQIP performance measurement, and HEDIS measures, Dawn has also served in leadership roles for both Santa Clara and Marin counties’ quality management and performance improvement teams. In addition, she has worked statewide with a previous external quality review team and coordinated multiple research projects at University of California San Francisco.
“My dad was an immigrant to this country, so I saw how hard it was for members of the family to access health care, especially for those who were not fluent in English,” she said. “Even at the statewide level that I’m working at now, for me the work always goes back to the people who actually need services.”
Dawn points to the way that specialty behavioral health is delivered in California as being especially unique, counties’ mission-driven approach to serving their communities, and the importance of preserving this way of providing care.
“Having a central organization like CalMHSA – that can support all counties, even the small and rural ones – is really meaningful for making sure that no matter what someone’s resources are or where they live, they can access the type of care they need,” she said.
Note: Other members of CalMHSA’s previous managed care operations team will continue to work with counties on fulfilling their quality assurance and compliance obligations as managed care.
November 22, 2024