Strengthening Accountability

Systematically Eliciting and Acting on Feedback

Project Goal

As a mission-driven government agency, OHA must be responsive to the people it serves. Yet, the Agency lacks a systematic method for receiving and responding to customer feedback. OHA has committed to standing up a technical solution for people to provide real-time feedback, which will allow the agency to improve service delivery, transparency, and accountability.

Most Recent Project Update

The project team is designing a plan for using the feedback technical application it has developed in the field and act on inquiries that come to the Director’s Office (DO) and the External Relations Division (ERD). Once the development timeline and approach are finalized, the team will start meeting with groups from the DO and ERD to inform implementation in Summer 2025.

Establishing Customer Service Polls

Project Goal

Establish and regularly assess Agency-wide measures of customer service, transparency, and accountability.

Most Recent Project Update

To streamline feedback from customers, the project team has initiated discussions on several key aspects of the Customer Service Poll. These discussions include evaluating various poll platforms to determine the most suitable option for conducting the poll, ensuring that the poll is accessible to all participants, including those with disabilities, and deliberating on the types of questions to be included in the poll to gather comprehensive and relevant feedback. Additionally, the team is examining the response process to develop a streamlined method for collecting and analyzing responses. They are also establishing a structured approach to manage the poll.

Improving Agency Responsiveness​

Project Goal

Establish and implement an Agency-wide policy on improving responsiveness to internal and external outreach, incorporating those expectations into staff and manager performance reviews.

Most Recent Project Update

To establish an agency-wide policy on improving responsiveness internally and externally, the project team is beginning work on identifying individuals to participate in the Policy Development workgroup. This workgroup will meet multiple times over the next few months editing and refining the Agency Responsiveness Policy drafts before sending the policy to the Director’s Office for review and feedback. Once the policy is finalized, the project team will work on socializing the new policy with the agency. The project team is also identifying and centralizing data on all call centers OHA uses to begin the process of standardizing performance expectations and to identify the systems improvements necessary to ensure optimal customer service at these centers.

Increasing Accountability and Stewardship of Public Dollars

Project Goal

Increase Agency accountability and stewardship of public dollars by launching a series of budgetary process improvements to be carried out by a newly established Financial Investment and Outcomes Office (FIOO). These changes include designing and implementing policy spend plans for all proposed investments across divisions; evaluating whether and to what extent investment allocations achieve specific policy objectives; and publishing budgetary impact reports, which clearly document the costs, outputs, and outcomes of major Agency initiatives.

Most Recent Project Update

The Financial Investments and Outcomes Office (FIOO) is a new agency team focused on improving financial processes and better aligning program funding with agency goals. The FIOO team is completing its roadshow sessions to introduce FIOO and share its purpose and capabilities across the agency. FIOO is also beginning its work developing customized policy spend plan frameworks for several priority programs to more effectively align program outcomes with agency goals.

Modernizing Grant Funding and Contracting

Project Goal

Community Based Organizations (CBOs) are important partners in helping OHA achieve its goals of eliminating health inequities by 2030. Yet multiple CBOs have reported challenges with OHA’s contracting process, including burdensome administrative requirements. To address these, OHA is now working in collaboration with CBOs to streamline the grant reporting process and expedite grant disbursements for CBOs.

Most Recent Project Update

To create a streamlined and improved grant process for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), the project team has conducted and is using insights gained from various engagement sessions to better understand process gaps and areas for improvement. The project team has now started facilitating deeper-dive focus groups with CBOs and other individuals involved in the grant contracting process that will be used to develop a list of process improvement recommendations for implementation in 2025.

Improving Rigor and Oversight of Contract Management

Project Goal

Support OHA staff as the stewards of public dollars by promoting operational excellence in contract administration, including by mandating training requirements and evaluation for the first time and collecting more granular data tied to performance reviews about the efficacy of contracts management.

​​​ ​Most Recent Project Update

To improve financial stewardship of public funds, the project team is updating and refining processes on how the agency administers and manages its various contracts with external partners. In the early stages of this effort, the project team is confirming the requirements, expectations, and responsibilities for contract administration. The identified gaps between available trainings, requirements, and expectations will be used to inform updates to current trainings and the development of new trainings. ​​