Read the executive summary on this page and download the pdf for the full report.
Executive Summary
Oregon Project Independence (OPI) in-home services provided by the Community Services unit of the Multnomah County Aging, Disability and Veterans Services Division (ADVSD) help vulnerable seniors and disabled adults with crucial, everyday tasks that give comfort to independent living. ADVSD contracts with in-home care agencies to provide some of these services.
In our review of in-home agencies, we found that one agency overbilled the County and one overserved, and that ADVSD billing procedures weren’t sufficient to catch errors or to correct overpayments. We found that while the agencies generally met the expectation of the contracts in terms of business practices, practical information regarding client satisfaction wasn’t being collected by ADVDS. It appears that unclear contract language, the lack of enforcement of contract terms on behalf of the County, and lack of timely, accurate information flow contributed to the findings in this audit.
We recommend updating billing and payment procedures to approve invoices more accurately, and to work with agencies to develop more substantial survey data with regard to client satisfaction. ADVDS should consider conducting its own client satisfaction surveys.