Clients
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Department of Agriculture
Department of State
Fairfax County
National Council on Aging
Department of Justice
The DoD's Deployment and Readiness Systems (D&RS) Air Force (AF) program is comprised of all Information Technology (IT) solutions that support the missions of forward-deployed medical support personnel for Enroute Care where DoD patients are rapidly moved from forward battle locations to tertiary care facilities. To date over 10,000 Electronic Health Records on patients have moved from theater locations, such as Afghanistan, to the United States.
D&RS AF called upon MANILA to modernize their Enroute Care Electronic Health Record capability by developing a vendor-neutral interface to collect additional patient data from health monitor devices that support critically wounded patients in the Enroute Care system. This project required a deep understanding of DoD's Electronic Health Record (EHR) system for theater, AHLTA-T, and collaborative work with other support contractors to make necessary modifications to baseline releases of AHLTA-T. The project also required a rapid, efficient and effective software development methodology to deliver a working prototype and product to a highly mobile patient population in short order. An iterative and agile process with short integration cycles, or sprints, was utilized to deliver demonstrable interim deliveries of software and ultimately a product that fully supports this mission.
MANILA operates a data-coordinating center and a comprehensive support project for the Centers for Disease Control's HIV/AIDS prevention research projects. The center supports development of analytic evaluation databases based on a variety of data collected at research sites across the United States.
MANILA coordinates data transfer from and information flow to the sites. To facilitate this, MANILA develops numerous protocols and operates a file transfer protocol (FTP) site. Evaluative databases are developed through a process of verification, editing, and coding to enhance the validity of the original source data. To support the process, MANILA develops a variety of computer programs, user manuals, and procedures documentation. At present, we maintain 1,467 databases from 72 sites in CDC's research programs.
MANILA also does formative research for program development and research design, conducts statistical analysis, and develops application programs in support of CDC's prevention research. The computer programs we developed support a range of prevention research activities. Some catalogue and update the information needed to perform successful random sampling when applying research designs in field settings. Others track subject recruitment and participation in prevention programs. We also developed a program to facilitate collection of complex data and another for cataloguing and tracking development of multi-site, multi-author research evaluation reporting results.
We also designed computer programs to facilitate analysis of the variety of data collected at research sites, particularly qualitative data. These programs organize, structure, and code text data. In addition, they perform analysis of inter-coder reliability for multiple coders, full text searching, and derivation of coded data for quantitative analysis. One program, E-Z Text (Ver.3), is available to the public on the CDC website. Version 4 is nearing completion, and we are developing a version for research in Thailand. We plan to develop a fully international version that will allow the user to select the language to be used and the screens will be automatically translated into that language. MANILA supports these application programs through training and technical assistance and production of user manuals and technical assistance materials.
The HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States is a public health emergency. MSM, while comprising a small proportion of U.S. men, accounted for at least 61% of new HIV infections in 2009, with particularly concerning increases in HIV incidence among young black MSM. Despite national recommendations for routine HIV screening, many MSM continue to be unaware of their HIV serostatus.
Given the high HIV incidence rates among MSM and known reductions in HIV transmission behaviors after diagnosis and recent results indicating the prevention value of early diagnosis and treatment, increasing the frequency with which MSM are tested for HIV is an important public health goal. However, a barrier to this goal is the high degree of stigma associated with HIV testing. Recent advances in HIV testing and the advent of HIV testing kits that can be self-administered at home may overcome this barrier and increase testing frequency. In order to determine what impact the availability of home HIV-testing kits will have on testing frequency among MSM, CDC contracted with MANILA to develop and implement a randomized prevention trial of home-based HIV testing. MANILA partnered with Emory University, Northwestern University, Public Health Solutions of New York, and community-based organizations in Atlanta, Chicago, and New York to conduct this effort. This randomized trial aims to recruit over 1,800 MSM who will be followed for over a 1-year period. Recruitment and data collection for this project will begin in April 2014. Outcomes to be assessed include testing frequency and sexual risk behaviors.
In preparation for the onset of the study, MANILA and its partners have developed a data collection and test kit ordering website that will be accessed by study participants. We also developed a fulfillment center for HIV kit distribution, obtained OMB clearance for the surveys to be used in the study, and developed a marketing plan targeted at MSM in the U.S. encouraging participation in the study.
Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by the US HIV epidemic. HIV incidence has been increasing among MSM since 2000, and in the United States, MSM of color – especially younger men of color – continue to be most severely affected by HIV infection.
CDC currently conducts HIV/AIDS behavioral surveillance to identify populations who are at risk of HIV infection using a surveillance system called the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System. NHBS data collection occurs in yearly cycles within metropolitan statistical areas with high AIDS prevalence and focuses on three high risk groups: MSM, users of injection drugs, and heterosexuals at increased risk. Each of the groups is the focus of data collection every three years. Consequently, data from MSM are sampled only once every three years, hampering the ability of public health officials to detect trends in MSM risk behavior or measure whether prevention services are effectively reaching the target population. More frequent and geographically comprehensive data collection is needed to establish trends in MSM risk behavior and access to prevention services in order to guide prevention efforts for this group.
One medium by which surveillance efforts aimed at examining MSM sexual risk behavior more frequently is the internet. To determine this, CDC contracted with MANILA to conduct market research to inform the design of a national web-based data collection system among MSM, developing this system according to those best-practices, implementing the system, collecting and managing surveillance data from 29,000 MSM annually for three years, and analyzing these data in order to identify trends in MSM behavior.
MANILA has a long history of partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Recently, MANILA developed the Central Indicator Database (CID) for the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP). CID is a web-based tool designed to support the management, analysis, and reporting of HIV prevention performance indicators at the national, state, and local levels. CID's unique functionality includes its ability to systematically link quantitative and qualitative datasets from multiple sources that include information on the same topic, geographic area, or year.
CID also performs a critical role in housing documentation about data sources, data collection years, and indicator calculations. These functions, along with significant quantitative and qualitative analysis and reporting functionality, make CID an important tool for the concurrent analysis and comparison of data from a number of different sources. In addition, CID results can easily be exported to SAS or Excel for further analysis.
The development of CID required a deep understanding of the needs of DHAP staff who would ultimately utilize the system. Consequently, MANILA data analysts, and subject matter experts worked closely with the development team to ensure that the needs of CDC were met. In addition to the successful development and deployment of CID to DHAP, MANILA staff worked closely with CDC to develop procedures for populating the database and ensuring that the data in the system are kept up-to-date and relevant. While deployed, the functionality of CID continues to be enhanced. These enhancements are primarily based on feedback obtained from end users. Recent enhancements include improvements to the user interface, increased meta-data content, and the addition of graphical functionality that allows data analysts to visualize data. Ongoing conversations with DHAP staff will ensure that CID continues to evolve as new uses for this data integration system are proposed and new users begin to utilize the system.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded MANILA Consulting Group, Inc., a second 5-year, multimillion-dollar contract to support the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). The NREPP is a searchable online registry of mental health and substance abuse interventions that have been reviewed and rated by independent reviewers. The purpose of this registry is to assist the public in identifying approaches to preventing and treating mental and/or substance use disorders that have been scientifically tested and that can be readily disseminated to the field.
MANILA is supporting SAMHSA by reviewing and rating an intervention's quality of research and readiness of dissemination. Under this new contract, MANILA continues to deliver the following:
If you would like information about submitting an intervention to NREPP, please call 1.866.43NREPP or e-mail nrepp@manilaconsulting.net.
In 2002, the President established the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health and charged the group with conducting a comprehensive study of the mental health service system and making recommendations for immediate improvements that the federal and state governments and other stakeholders could implement. In response to the Commission's recommendations, a Federal Action Agenda was developed called Transforming Mental Health Care in America.
As a critical component of this agenda, the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) awarded 5-year Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grants (MHT SIGs) to the Offices of the Governors of seven states (CT, MD, NM, OH, OK, TX, and WA).The MHT SIG program supports an array of infrastructure and service delivery improvement activities to help states build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective mental health and related services based on the six goals of the New Freedom Commission's final report. Through the grant program, states will develop and implement a Comprehensive State Mental Health Plan that builds on a thorough needs assessment and inventory of resources and cuts across state agencies that provide services relevant to mental health.
SAMHSA engaged MANILA to design and conduct, in collaboration with the grantees and under the direction of the federal staff, an independent, objective cross-site evaluation. This evaluation satisfied the requirements of the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), which was introduced to assess and improve performance of federal programs. Among other tasks, MANILA worked to evaluate the degree of transformation of systems, identify factors that contribute to successful transformation, and demonstrate the cost-efficiency of the program.
The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative is an unprecedented collaborative grant program supported by three federal departments: the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Justice. The initiative provides funds for grantees to use—and sometimes develop—state-of-the-art knowledge about what programs and practices work best to promote safe and healthy environments where children can learn and develop.
Local education agencies serve as the primary applicants for SS/HS grants, but they are required to establish formal partnerships with the local mental health system, the local law enforcement agency, and the local juvenile justice agency. Other partners often include public and private social services agencies, businesses, civic organizations, the faith community, and private citizens. As a result of these partnerships, comprehensive plans are developed, implemented, evaluated, and sustained with the goals of promoting the healthy development of children, fostering resilience to adversity, and helping to prevent violence and substance abuse.
SAMHSA engaged MANILA to design and implement the 5-year evaluation of the SS/HS program. The work included specifying data collection protocols, creating a resource database, overseeing data collection and analysis, and preparing reports, including the final document for widespread distribution to diverse audiences.
In December 1998, a program was initiated to implement Section 4007 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), giving the Secretary of Transportation authority to grant exemptions to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). MANILA operates a project supporting this program, which enables individuals to qualify as commercial motor vehicle drivers without meeting specific standards. The exemption program has two components addressing vision deficiencies and insulin-treated diabetes.
One of MANILA's roles was to manage the application process for the exemption program. This involved reviewing driver applications, interacting with applicants to obtain complete information, talking with medical examiners to clarify their reports, and packaging the results with recommendations so that FMCSA can make the final decision. MANILA staff also wrote the Federal Register notices announcing the intention to issue or deny individual waivers and operate a telephone service to address drivers' concerns.
MANILA was also responsible for monitoring the safety record of drivers with exemptions or grandfather rights through earlier waiver programs, performing periodic checks of motor vehicle records and any other available information sources.
MANILA developed an Internet-based tracking system that contains all relevant application information, data describing driving records, and disposition of applications. The tracking system was developed for the Internet so that FMCSA managers can have immediate access to the information on each driver. To support this access, the system has a query function, a series of seminal reports, and the capability to download relevant documents.
MANILA's staff developed other databases that can be used to assess the safety of drivers with exemptions and those who received grandfather rights from earlier waiver programs. These databases are developed with information from the application process and motor vehicle reports to permit analytical risk assessments.
MANILA planned and developed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association's National Registry of Medical Examiners for Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operators. The need for the registry grew from widespread concern that medical examiners may not have a complete understanding of the regulations and guidelines for medical certification of CMV operators. Concern grew following a recent bus accident with multiple fatalities. The driver had certification, but should not have been medically qualified.
The Registry lists medical examiners who become certified through an accredited program. Our planning and development effort focused on two areas: procedures to ensure that the certification process is valid, and development of the National Registry and its associated components. Our formative research examined the multitude of methods and procedures used to certify professionals, including such facets as the role of accrediting agencies, membership groups, and certifying organizations. It also focused on methods for developing the education and training curricula to support certification and how these curricula are accredited. In addition, we explored the procedures for constructing certification examinations, from role delineation studies and item writing to analysis for establishing reliability.
We identified the organizations that develop examinations, looked at how they are administered and how they interacted with other organizations in the certification process. We also looked at how the public and other stakeholders are included in the process, and the standards available for desirable practices. Finally, we determined if there are methods or organizations available to accredit the entire certification process to promote public confidence.
The second area of planning and development is the form that was reached by the National Registry. The Registry is hosted on an Internet-based website that serves multiple populations. The Registry was developed to be a resource for CMV operators who must find a medical examiner to obtain the examination required for operating a CMV by providing a database of certified examiners that drivers can search. The search mechanism was constructed to allow searching by city, state, and zip code with the nearest set of examiners identified using global positioning satellite technology. The Registry is a resource for certified examiners, who can research updated information on relevant federal regulations and guidelines, with an option to download the information to a handheld computer.
Medical examiners interested in being tested for certification and listing in the Registry have been able to use the site to obtain information about the procedures for certification. The site was developed to identify approved training organizations with locations and dates available, as well as places and dates for certification examinations. The site was successfully established to house relevant documents that can be downloaded, including application forms.
Finally, the Registry serves as a public information resource. Since an ongoing concern of the program is to instill public confidence in the process as it relates to highway safety, MANILA provided information to document the validity of the certification program. The site describes the roles and responsibilities of certified medical examiners, the training they receive, and the nature of the certification examination. We also documented the accreditation process and the broadly recognized national standards used to ensure training is thorough and appropriate. MANILA achieved its goal to provide a full, succinct portrayal of the program's design to ensure that this segment of FMCSA's program met the need for public safety.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) primary mission is to improve truck and bus safety on the nation's highways. As a subcontractor, MANILA worked with FMCSA to support this mission by establishing panels of medical experts to review the current cardiac standard and guidelines and make recommendations to the FMCSA for amending and/or updating the requirements and guidelines for the CMV drivers. In addition, MANILA updated the 1988 Federal Highway Administration's conference report on cardiac conditions and commercial drivers.
MANILA managed the panels' processes and their mission to provide recommendations in identifying potential risk factors that might be associated with driving impairment. MANILA also organized discussions on how identified risk factors may affect driving ability and what treatment technology can be used to control risk factors or medical conditions.
FMCSA has the authority to conduct pilot programs to investigate variations in the regulations it is responsible for enforcing. These investigations focus on determining if regulatory variations can provide public benefit without diminishing the current level of commercial motor vehicle safety. “The Home Heating Oil Pilot” program is one of these investigations and is a project for which MANILA provided assistance as a subcontractor. This study aims to investigate an innovation in home heating oil delivery in the winter season.
MANILA's role was to support the collection, analysis, and monitoring of data on the safety history of motor carriers and drivers making home heating oil deliveries. MANILA provided a project manager who was responsible for developing project plans and for management, direction, and execution of the plans. This person oversaw project execution and quality control through multiple daily contacts with the staff.
Finally, MANILA was responsible for providing an evaluation and analysis of the results of the program and a final report to Congress. This report documented the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the program, including recommendations to amend laws and regulations that enhance motor carrier and driver safety while improving compliance with the hours-of-service regulations.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published an advance notice of proposal rulemaking (ANPRM) on November 5, 1996, on the hours-of-service rules for interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. As a subcontractor, MANILA provided computer programming expertise to develop a web-site for the collection of data describing the comments to the ANPRM. In addition, MANILA administered public hearings at six locations and analyzed substantive docket comments to the notice of proposal rule making (NPRM).
The web-based system supported review and analysis of the comments to the docket. The system allowed the comment analysts, who were geographically dispersed, to search the docket, submit analytic results and coded data, track the progress of coding, and run numerous reports. In addition, MANILA was responsible for inspecting the docket for any substantive comments filed up to two weeks, after the official NPRM docket closing date. MANILA analyzed and summarized each substantive comment received in response to the NPRM. MANILA also analyzed each non-substantive comment received and provided a summary of them.
The Employment and Training Administration, Office of Technology at the Department of Labor has engaged MANILA Consulting Group to implement an agency-wide eGrants solution. This initiative is being carried forward in response to a legislative mandate that requires all grant authoring agencies to interface with grants.gov in the administration, management, and close-out of their grant applications process.
MANILA equipped grant applicants and grant administrators with an electronic means by which a grant application can be processed from inception through closeout. Existing in-house solutions were also migrated into the larger eGrants system. The solution complied with processes across nine agencies.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), is responsible for administering over five thousand grant initiatives in order to promote “job training, employment, labor market information, and income maintenance services” for Americans in today's workforce. These grant initiatives are broken out by function and governed by various Program Offices within ETA. Each Program Office thereby generates various types of financial and tracking data in order to support their individual program efforts.
MANILA was charged with the collection, organization, and distribution of the data generated by the Program Offices to establish an ETA wide data warehouse and reporting system. To implement this task, MANILA supported multiple intranet web-based applications. These applications combined data from various sources and molded it into useful information for on-line analytical processing by hundreds of ETA users nationwide. ETA users were then able to manipulate, display and analyze this information to support and improve their business processes and enhance the services provided to their grant recipient customers.
Our web-based solution for ETA's information needs comprised three separate components: data warehousing, reporting, and Program Office support. The data warehousing portion refers to the gathering and categorizing of data from multiple Program Office sources. Reporting refers to the web-based applications that allow ETA users to view information in graphical, tabular, or reporting displays. In providing Program Office support, MANILA worked with ETA staff members to analyze existing business practices in order to automate any manual procedures used to support their decision support processes.
MANILA was also tasked to establish and administer new internet web applications that will allow the general public to access information supplied by the ETA Program Offices.
MANILA supported the Department of Labor's (DOL) Central Office for Assistive Services and Technology (COAST) Office in providing accommodations for DOL employees and beneficiaries with disabilities in order to improve access to the DOL physical, technical and recreational environments. Established in 1997 as part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Administration and Management/Human Resource Center, COAST provides needs assessments, sign language interpreting services, alternate format production services, and accommodations, including assistive technology, to assist DOL compliance with accessibility laws.
MANILA's staff provided support for strategic planning and project management, disability/accessibility policy and program research, onsite needs assessments and accommodation services delivery, and marketing and training services. In addition, our staff also managed the partnership between DOL and the Department of Defense Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP). MANILA also provided programming and maintenance services for the COAST Services Tracking Database.
MANILA's experience and knowledge in the disability services field enabled COAST to manage over 1,400 annual accommodations to increase accessibility and opportunities for DOL employees with disabilities.
MANILA supported the IRS' Information Resources Accessibility Program Office by helping meet the increasing needs of their customers by enhancing compliance efforts, supplementing the knowledge and skills of existing program staff, and facilitating educational outreach efforts. MANILA's staff provided on-site technical and helpdesk call support related to Section 508 and assistive technology. Furthermore, the staff researched, developed, and documented 508 compliance-testing tools procedures and other 508 reference for the IRAP Web site, as well as provided support for the biennial Department of Justice Agency Self-assessment Survey.
MANILA's requisite knowledge and skills provided leadership towards upfront systems accessibility, as well as infrastructure support for information technology accommodations, which were key in helping make IRS electronic and information systems accessible to employees and customers with disabilities. In addition, MANILA provided 508 compliance testing, assistive technology troubleshooting, technical customer support services, and educational resources, such as white papers, tutorials, presentations, and web-based training.
The Displaced Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF), the Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF), and the Victims of Torture Fund (VTF) are three special sources of funding reserved each year by Congress and managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). More than 60 international assistance programs receive over $25 million in support from these funds.
DCOF works to strengthen the capacity of families and communities to provide care, support, and protection for orphans, unaccompanied minors, and war-affected children. LWVF provides financial and technical assistance for civilian victims of war and those individuals who are living with mobility related disabilities. VTF assists in the rehabilitation of individuals who suffer the physical and psychological effects of torture. All three funds work through nongovernmental organizations (NGO) overseas that (1) provide direct services to people in need, their families, and communities; (2) strengthen the capacity of country-based institutions in their delivery of services; and (3) increase the level of knowledge and understanding of the challenges faced by these individuals.
In September 2004, the U.S. Agency for International Development awarded MANILA Consulting the Displaced Children and Orphans Fund/Leahy War Victims Fund/Victims of Torture Fund Technical Support Contract. The technical support contract provided technical and logistical services to USAID's fund manager, regional bureaus, and missions as they planned, implemented, and oversaw the programs supported by the three funds.
The DCOF/LWVF/VTF Technical Support Contract provided a broad range of services to USAID. The contract maintained a roster of highly qualified technical experts in diverse development fields. Along with core contract staff, these technical experts provided hands-on assistance to USAID in program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Staff members made periodic trips to review USAID programs and work with the more than 50 NGOs in developing countries around the world that directly implemented these programs. Additional activities included:
For USDA, our team coordinates the TARGET Center Education Program, which provides educational programs, designed and implemented by MANILA staff, to increase the understanding of accessibility and ergonomics in the workplace, as well as promote awareness of the TARGET program. These educational programs are provided both in person and online, and can be made fully accessible to all potential customers.
We also have developed and are continually enhancing a core training curriculum for the TARGET On Demand Training program. On Demand Training sessions are provided in response to customer requests for specific training topics related to accessibility and ergonomics. In many cases, core curriculum sessions can be utilized or adapted to quickly meet customer needs. If a requested topic is not part of the curriculum, customized trainings are provided.We also provide technical program assistance services through the USDA TARGET Center. The TARGET program assists USDA agencies by demonstrating and educating the entire USDA community about accessibility, assistive technology, ergonomics, education, Section 508 compliance, and other topics related to the employment of people with disabilities. The MANILA team provides on-site support to ensure the TARGET Center is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, excluding federal holidays. The MANILA team also answers the TARGET main phone line and responds promptly to TARGET Center e-mail requests. We respond to all customer requests for information and services quickly and track customer interactions in the TARGET database.
Our TARGET staff serves as a primary resource for Section 508 compliance related questions. While not an official testing facility, staff provides information on Section 508 requirements, conducts demonstrations, works with developers and end users, and creates training workshops. Our staff also coordinates the USDA and the Department of Defense Computer/ Electronics Accommodation Program (CAP) partnership. In this role, we work with all USDA disability employment program managers and mission area designees for reasonable accommodations in securing computer electronic-based accommodations of assistive technology hardware and software.
The MANILA team also provides strategic planning and management to the TARGET Center. Our team works with the USDA Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), who is also the TARGET Director, to refine and enhance the Center's vision, as needed for continual growth. Strategic planning sessions are conducted semi-annually, during which critical growth opportunities are identified and current work practices examined to ensure resources are aligned with TARGET's mission, vision, and goals. Where they are not, plans are made to modify or change work practices to increase efficiency and better align them with the Center's mission, vision, and goals.