Using Technology To Do More With Less

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March 24, 2022

1 PM EST

Virtual Session

Session Recording

What’s this session about?

Endless data is collected by public and private agencies that serve youth within the child welfare, behavioral health, and juvenile justice systems. These agencies vary in their capability to collect and use this data to inform decision-making and are often challenged in this effort due to staffing shortages, growing demands for data, or duplication of efforts.

This webinar will highlight how some agencies are now utilizing the benefits of artificial intelligence and machine learning to operationalize historical data to predict outcomes and inform decision-making through FirstMatch®, a predictive analytics software tool that helps organizations collect, organize, manage, visualize, and analyze data for decision-making. Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a live Q/A session.

Speaker Information

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FAQs

What is FirstMatch?

FirstMatch is a state of the art admissions software that uses predictive analytics to help decision makers select the right treatment program for a child, increasing likelihood of success.

Why was FirstMatch developed?

FirstMatch was developed as a better way to recommend a treatment for a child in the child welfare, juvenile justice or behavioral health systems. By using data to make treatment decisions, youth spend less time cycling in an out of programs and more time with their families, leading to reduced trauma, and better outcomes.

How are youth currently matched with programs without using FirstMatch?

Right now, youth are matched with a treatment program based upon a combination of factors such as cost, space in the program, proximity to home, past experiences, relationships with referral source, macro level outcomes, contract status, and anecdotal information.

How are youth matched with programs when using FirstMatch?

When a child’s clinical information is entered into FirstMatch, the tool uses a service provider’s historical outcomes to recommend the best program for that particular child. Referral services and service providers use the data to make an informed choice.

Why does the juvenile justice system need a resource like FirstMatch?

Currently, 66% of youth in out-of-home placement have already been in one or more placements and 44% have been in two or more previous placements. It’s not uncommon for youth to be in 10 or more prior out-of-home placements, with the average being 4.4. In addition, 88% of these youth have been in one or more previous in-home programs.

This problem is not unique to youth in out-of-home placements. Right now, 64% of youth in in-home programs have been enrolled in at least on other in-home program.

What is machine learning?

Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that allows software applications to become more accurate at predicting outcomes without being explicitly programmed to do so. Machine learning algorithms use historical data as input to predict new output values.

How does FirstMatch integrate machine learning?

FirstMatch uses machine learning to compare specific predictive factors of a youth referral to the historical outcomes achieved by unique programs for other youth that presented with the same or similar predictive factors (and combinations of these various factors). The program then uses this data to recommend the most appropriate treatment program for the youth.

How is the tool trained?

The tool increases its effectiveness by using an agency’s unique outputs and results to continuously learn what to look for in terms of patterns and trends that are undetectable by human analysis.

What types of predictions does FirstMatch make?

Once a youth’s data is entered into FirstMatch, the tool makes a program recommendation for the child. FirstMatch also produces a report that reveals the likelihood that a youth will achieve the desired outcome within a particular program, including recidivism, re-entry, remain-out-of-care and program completion rates, among others.

What are some of the results you’ve seen so far?

FirstMatch leads to improved outcomes for systems, organizations, and youth. So far, we have seen a decrease in negative incidents, higher program completion rates, and cost savings from youth being placed in fewer programs.

Tell me about the dashboard feature of the FirstMatch platform.

Through comparative graphs, the dashboard displays the tool’s predictions to actual outcomes, as well as referral source trends and referral status. The dashboard can be customizable to meet an agency’s specific needs.

What are some of the benefits for organizations implementing FirstMatch?

FirstMatch offers many benefits to organizations. Agencies can have confidence that by using data to drive decisions, they are either accepting the right youth into their programs. When kids are in the right program for them, programs have less negative incidents associated with inappropriate placements, reduced staff turnover, and better outcomes for kids and families. The FirstMatch tool also provides a dashboard that allows for real-time admissions referral management.

What are some of the benefits to the child and their family?

Matching a youth to program based upon data means youth receive the help they need from one right program, rather than cycling through four or five wrong ones. Less cycling means less trauma, better outcomes, and more success for kids.

What are the implications of FirstMatch for the child welfare and juvenile justice systems?

By using FirstMatch, systems can make a more informed decision for a child’s treatment, significantly increasing the chance of a successful outcome. This tool also provides another layer of quality assurance within agencies by helping to identify any changes in programming that may lead to a decrease in desired outcomes. FirstMatch also offers transparency with placing agencies in the acceptance and rejection of youth.

Is FirstMatch HIPAA compliant? How is the data protected?

FirstMatch is HIPAA compliant and the data is considered to be Protected Health Information (PHI). Organization’s control access to their data through a cloud based server that they own.

How can I learn more about FirstMatch?

You can also contact us by calling 724-331-1767 or emailing shawn.peck@firstmatch.org. We’ll be happy to provide a demo upon request.