The small ICF/MR program: dimensions of quality and cost.

Dimensions of quality of life were compared for people living in small ICFs/MR versus other community living arrangements. Individual differences were controlled by using a matched comparison design. The data set contained 35 indicators of quality. Primary analyses were restricted to data from 1988 to 1992. Fifty-one people from small ICFs/MR were matched with people from community living arrangements. Subjects were matched on adaptive behavior, challenging behavior, age, and gender. Quality outcomes were superior for people in the non-ICF settings on 10 of the 35 measures. The ICFs/MR were not superior on any of the indicators. Results suggest that less intensively regulated and more flexible models of residential supports may produce superior outcomes at equal or lower cost.