Chris Sparks Appointed to Serve on National Expert Panel

posted on Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Chris Sparks, EPI's Executive Director, has been appointed to serve on the national Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Technical Expert Panel. An initiative of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Home and Community Based Services Technical Expert Panel (TEP) is a group of 15 thought-leaders from across the country who have been invited to help shape the direction of a set of HCBS quality measures. TEP members hold a minimum two-year term with an optional two-year extension.

Chris has been chosen to provide input on this important venture all but ensures providers' voices are part of the development of these quality measures. This also signifies just how valuable Chris' leadership has been when it comes to inclusive supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Moreover, Chris' appointment to the TEP helps advancement towards shaping the future of service delivery by advancing person-centered quality measures. 

Chris brings his strengths as a leader by having served as President of the ANCOR Board of Directors, Chris has represented Iowa on the Board of Representatives, has served as Co-Chair of the Government Relations Committee, and was Chair of the National Advocacy Campaign, a multiyear effort to help secure the resources needed to attract and sustain a qualified workforce of direct support professionals. Sparks urged ANCOR to help lead the charge in the development of a set of national quality measures that could truly inform payers as well as potential customers as to the quality of supports an organization could provide.

"The opportunity to participate in this TEP helps us move forward in establishing fundamental quality measures for Home and Community Based services and I'm excited to be a part of the effort," said Chris Sparks.

We are deeply appreciative of CMS' efforts to convene the TEP, and we are immensely grateful for the work Chris will do to drive our field closer to meaningful quality measures.