Advancing the Technology First Movement
What is the Alliance?
The Technology First Alliance is a non-profit (501(c)(3)) organization with a purpose to advance the Technology First movement nationally and internationally in order to support the systems change required to meet the growing challenges in long-term supports and services (LTSS). The Alliance is an affiliation of stakeholders who support the tenets of the Technology First movement, and who collectively advocate for the use of technology solutions and principles to support individuals where they live, work, and play.
The alliance will support the growing momentum for Technology First initiatives across the United States, and set the standard for global Technology First initiatives.
Why an Alliance?
Long-term services and supports (LTSS) for individuals who are aging and those with disabilities are unsustainable. The rising cost of care, a growing level of need, and a dramatic short fall in direct care staff underscore the need for a new model of care for the future.
Our reimbursement systems and models for delivering care are decades old. More and more people want to receive care and support in their own home. Technology is one of the tools to meet these challenges, and it has been proven effective for almost twenty years.
Funders, regulators, service providers, individuals supported and their loved ones see the value that technology enhance support can provide, but they don’t know how to make it possible.
Sustainable Systems Change
The lift required to initiate change across an LTSS system is immense. Sustainable change only comes with thoughtful engagement from all levels of service delivery. There are important changes to consider for regulators, policy makers, vendors, funders, service providers, individuals supported, and their care teams.
The Alliance is bringing together resources, built on proven systems, to fill this void. Systems change is not a pilot program and it’s not a lobbying effort; it’s fundamentally changing the way that long-term care is provided.
Stakeholder Membership and Engagement
Every stakeholder involved in the LTSS care has a role to play with The Alliance. While the foundation of The Alliance is a framework of system change for long-term care, it must be built with engagement from all. The Alliance will offer:
A Technology First Advisory Committee - Comprised of subject matter experts across the long-term care industry. This team will collect and validate Technology First principles and best practices, and they will organize and facilitate advocacy and outreach on behalf of The Alliance.
A Technology First Provider Association - Providers need an association for collaboration, community building, and advocacy.
Self-Advocate and Family Resources - Connecting self-advocates and their families with the possibilities for technology solutions will provide much needed knowledge about what technology enhanced supported is and is not. These tools will also help individuals to advocate for how they can live a more independent life.
Other Membership Opportunities - The Alliance is actively building membership opportunities for State Agencies, Managed Care Organizations, and others to facilitate Technology First Transformation across the spectrum of service delivery.
92%
83%
Of LTSS providers are struggling to achieve quality standards
Of LTSS providers are turning away new client referrals
Statistics from: ANCOR "State of America's Direct Support Workforce Crisis 2022", October 2022
“The Tech First Movement is the Deinstitutionalization Movement of our generation..”
— Dustin Wright, Founder, Disability Cocoon
Contact
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