Phase I of the New, Online Provider Directory to Launch Spring/Summer 2024

Reshare from the Department of Developmental Services

Dear Community Partners:

DDS is committed to helping Californians with developmental disabilities and their families access information about regional center services. In talking with self-advocates, families and service providers, we have heard the value of having information about services available at both a local and state level.

To help with this, DDS is actively developing an online statewide Provider Directory. The goals of the Provider Directory are to:

• Have visibility into California’s network of developmental services providers
• Establish consistency and standards for provider vendorization
• Make it easier for individuals and families to find service options, leading to greater empowerment when selecting their services and supports

What is the Provider Directory? 

The Provider Directory is an online portal that will be used to input, store and view information about all service providers in the state. 

The Provider Directory will centralize information about service providers that work with multiple regional centers, help to clarify the organizational structure within companies, maintain up-to-date contact information, and assist communication among DDS, regional centers and service providers.

When fully developed, the Provider Directory will make it possible to determine where services are available and needed, track development of new resources and be searchable by self-advocates and families to identify service options in their community.

How is the Provider Directory getting started?

The Provider Directory will be developed in phases, adding features over time that will be useful to our community.

The first phase begins with gathering information about all service providers and verifying that the information is accurate and categorized in the same way. For Phase 1, only regional centers and service providers are able to access the directory to help enter and confirm data.

Future phases will focus on making the Provider Directory accessible to individuals and families. We will keep you informed as we get closer to having a search function available to individuals and families. Since the Provider Directory is a new system and one that includes approximately 46,000 distinct vendored services, it will take time, but we will provide updates on the progress.

This is a big task and to be successful we need all service providers to participate!

• Training will be available for service providers. 
• DDS will offer incentive payments to service providers through the Quality Incentive Program (QIP). 
  • More information about the incentive payout will be provided in future communications
  • We will rely on the Provider Directory information for future QIP activities, including payment for outcome and quality measures

What will happen in future phases of the Provider Directory project? 

DDS will build on the information collected in Phase I to add features that focus on:

• Making the vendorization process easier for service providers
• Integrating with the State’s case management & fiscal systems
• Helping individuals and families find services in their communities that have staff who speak their preferred language

This exciting project will serve our entire community. As a comprehensive and accessible source of information, the Provider Directory will improve transparency, evaluation of systemwide resources, and most importantly, help individuals and their families get information that can support making informed decisions about their services.

Additional Information:

Visit the Provider Directory page

Sign up to be added to the Provider Directory email distribution list.

Questions? E-mail ProviderDirectory@dds.ca.gov