Connecticut work group considers validated risk-assessment tool and statewide training for home‑health workers

Tracy Wodach, co‑chair of the Healthcare Safety Workforce Work Group, said members are exploring replacing parts of existing intake‑screening mandates with a validated risk assessment tool presented by Demus, and asked the group to evaluate whether the tool could serve as an acceptable alternative.

The proposal from Demus — described as an online, clinician‑oriented screener that generates low/moderate/high risk scores and suggested interventions — prompted detailed questions about how the tool would be used, who would complete it, and what training would be required. “We wanted to repeal the mandates of some of the intake screening, the lookups, etcetera, and not replace it with anything. And to now look forward to some solution where we might be able to put something in place that that would be acceptable by all as a as a positive recommendation,” Wodach said as she opened discussion of the tool.

Sarah Gansby of Demus described the tool as “an online friendly user tool” that “will kind of populate based on the information that you put…