2 Improvement

[Victorio Galindo]

Improvementis the process of a thing moving from one state to a state considered to be better, usually by a change or addition that improves. The concept of improvement is important to governments and businesses, as well as to individuals.

The term "improvement" in general means "gradual, piecemeal, but cumulative betterment", which can refer to both individuals and societies as a whole.[1] The term "improvement" historically referred to land improvement, the process of making wildland more suitable for human uses, particularly the cultivation of crops.[2] Agricultural writers contrasted "improvement" with the traditional custom that governed farming practices at the time. The belief in agricultural "improvement" was the belief that the earth could be made more fruitful. More specifically, it was the belief that "the knowledge of nature would allow the best possible use of resources".[3] It emerged in late medieval England and later shaped the colonies of the British Empire, through what Richard Drayton describes as "enlightened imperialism". The British believed "that they ultimately knew better than those on the ground".[4]

This limited agricultural use of the term changed in the 17th century, when "its metaphoric range was extended to include a host of social and political reforms aimed at growth, development, or perfection".[2] In short order, the term "improvement" became "nothing less than shorthand for the civilizing process",[2][5] and thereafter "played an important role in eighteenth- century European debates over the foundations of social order".[2] Friedrich Nietzsche criticized this concept of "improvement" in his notes published in The Will to Power, asserting that it created a false and self-serving sense of human superiority over nature, and that the "civilizing" of man was actually a "softening".[6]

In the 20th century, the concept of improvement expanded even further. Businesses developed philosophies of having a continual improvement process, wherein all activities of the business are constantly examined to weed out inefficiencies and better ways of carrying out tasks. At the same time, the concept of an individual self-improvement blossomed, leading to "tremendous growth in self-help publishing [and] self-improvement culture",[7] wherein people assessed their lives in much the same way. Home improvement, the process or result of improving the efficiency, livability, or market value of a personal dwelling, has also become a substantial industry.

Your commitment and ability to improve defines your potential which is of interest to anyone who is a customer, employer, stakeholder as like a craftsman his ability to improve represents the marked improvement in his work from one to the next.

Governments often use language proposing an improvement of processes or areas. In some places a business improvement district or tourism improvement district may be incorporated into urban zoning, with the enactment of laws intended to benefit businesses that are established in the area. An improvement trust, a type of legal trust created for the improvement of something, may be settled for the benefit of a municipal area.

As North Carolina transitions to NC Medicaid Managed Care, the Department will work with Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs) to develop a data-driven, outcomes-based continuous quality improvement process, This will:

The Access Monitoring Review Plan (AMRP) provides an overview of access to care for North Carolina Medicaid Direct beneficiaries from 2019 through 2022. Medicaid Direct is the traditional fee-for-service Medicaid program in North Carolina. For more information, visit the NCDHHS Medicaid Direct webpage.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services remains dedicated to improving the health of North Carolinians through an innovative, equitable, whole-person-centered and well-coordinated system of care that supports both medical and nonmedical drivers of health.

NC Medicaid uses a framework to inform annual consideration of the Standard Plan Withhold Program performance measure set.

Standard Plan Withhold Program Measure Set Decision-Making Rubric - April 2024

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to share a policy evaluation brief, Tele-Transformation in North Carolina: Telehealth Policy Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond and companion chart pack, below:

Qualitative interviews with Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs) and provider organizations are part of a larger multi-year evaluation of the transition from NC Medicaid Direct (fee-for-service) to NC Medicaid Managed Care under the 1115 demonstration waiver. Summaries of qualitative evaluation findings to date are provided below:

The Department has identified a subset of these measures for health plans to use to monitor Advanced Medical Home (AMH) performance and calculate AMH performance incentive payments. The first quality performance period for AMHs began in January 2022.

These baseline data and targets are shared as a reference for AMHs. An AMH practice (National Provider Identifier (NPI) + location code) will have its own rate that may be above or below the baseline rates provided. AMHs should negotiate target performance rates with health plans.

North Carolina identified targeted quality indicators that will serve as guides for the Department, contracted plans and providers. These performance indicators will be crucial to assess the success of the new approach.

The EQR Technical Report is a program-wide detailed technical report summarizing the findings of the annual external quality review and quality of care across all PHPs. It includes an executive summary of the objectives of the EQR as well as a description of the EQR process, including data collection tools, documents requested, offsite and onsite activities, a description of the data reviewed and a summary of findings and conclusions drawn from the data.

The Police and Fire-Rescue departments work together within our communities to provide the highest level of quality service and protection. From neighborhood watch to 9-1-1 services, our team is here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Storefront Improvement Program (SIP) revitalizes building facades visible to customers, neighboring merchants and residents. The City of San Diego provides free professional design assistance and financial incentives to small business owners who wish to make a creative change to and improve the curb appeal of their storefronts.

Requirements: The SIP is open to small businesses (25 or fewer employees) that are located in the City of San Diego, face a public street, and have a valid business tax certificate. The applicant must be a commercial occupant of the subject property.

Program Exclusions: National franchises, office buildings larger than 80,000 square feet, residential rental buildings (apartments), home-based businesses, storefronts that do not face the public right-of-way, government-owned and -occupied buildings, churches and other religious institutions are not eligible. Properties that have received a SIP rebate within the past five years and projects that have already begun or completed renovations/construction are also ineligible. Applicants who have applied in the past two years are not eligible.

Eligible Improvements: These include the installation of new awnings, windows, doors, lighting, paint, landscaping, tile or other decorative material and signs. Improvements categorized as maintenance are not eligible. The removal of security bars and code compliance for signage violations are also eligible for the rebate.

Ineligible Improvements: Any work done before applying to and participating in the program is not eligible. Any work done by vendors or contractors who are not licensed according to local and state laws is not eligible.

Applicants will be asked to provide basic information about the property, including ownership. Applicants will also be asked to consider what types of improvements they'd like to make, what goals they'd like the improvements to achieve and how much they're able to spend on the projects. Each applicant must upload two photos from different views of the storefront with their application submittal. Permission to participate from the property owner (form) and a refundable deposit of $250 will be collected soon after the application is approved.

The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is a core Federal-aid program with the purpose to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, including non-State-owned roads and roads on tribal land. The HSIP requires a data-driven, strategic approach to improving highway safety on all public roads with a focus on performance.

The HSIP is legislated under Section 148 of Title 23, United States Code (23 U.S.C. 148) and regulated under Part 924 of Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations (23 CFR Part 924). The HSIP consists of three main components, the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), State HSIP or program of highway safety improvement projects and the Railway-Highway Crossing Program (RHCP), In addition, some states also have a High Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) program if they had increasing fatality rate on rural roads. Click here to view a short video about the HSIP.

This report describes the principles and core elements of the Safe System approach, and examines foundational elements of the HSIP, State SHSP, and State HSIP as compared to the Safe System principles and presents areas of alignment, as well as opportunities and noteworthy practices. The report concludes with a discussion of next steps for Federal and State safety stakeholders to advance implementation of the Safe System approach through these existing safety programs.

The program can reimburse up to 50 percent of the cost of eligible improvements to a maximum of $10,000 for a single commercial property, or up to $15,000 for a multiple-address or corner business property.

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