Performance Metrics Plan for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services

Abstract

DHHS found that they were inefficiently recording data used to create their necessary reports. With more than 130 direct service programs and contracted services from 700 different providers, the data from those services weren’t always properly recorded. For example, data for some reports, such as the Monthly Trend Reports (MTRs), was recorded and tracked on both spreadsheets or paper reports. This variation causes inefficiency in creating reports; it took longer than necessary. After learning about and examining the data contained in several DHHS reports, we realized one way to help DHHS employees correctly record information would be to provide them with a data dictionary. A data dictionary allows users to quickly find different service programs and attributes recorded throughout DHHS, including items such as variable name, variable description, data type, and more. Furthermore, the data reports were all in a static formatting, meaning that the information could not be edited or updated. As a result, we decided to take all the data in those reports and import them into a database that could then be used to input, update, edit, or report information.