SOLICITATION NOTICE
Q -- Sleep Studies
- Notice Date
- 8/21/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 621511
— Medical Laboratories
- Contracting Office
- Department of Veterans Affairs;James J. Peters VA Medical Center;10N3/NAL-3, Room 9B-67;130 West Kingsbridge Road;Bronx NY 10468-3904
- ZIP Code
- 10468-3904
- Solicitation Number
- VA-243-07-RQ-0150
- Response Due
- 9/7/2007
- Archive Date
- 9/22/2007
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- Statement of Work In-Home Sleep Studies VA New York Harbor Healthcare System 1. Introduction and Scope of Work There is a high incidence of sleep disorders within the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System (VA NYHHS) patient population. VA NYHHS seeks to develop a contract to perform in-home sleep studies to evaluate sleep apnea and other sleep disorders, including evaluation of CPAP titration to allow for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Contractor will send a diagnostic device directly to patients. They will offer phone support and will retrieve their device. They will then provide a summary of the diagnostic study results. If a sleep disorder is diagnosed, a second study will be performed in the same manner to determine an appropriate treatment for the sleep disorder. 2. Requirements The Contractor shall provide testing and analysis for sleep-disordered breathing to any veteran referred by the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, Department of Veterans Affairs, 800 Poly Place, Brooklyn NY 11209 and 23 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010. Contractor shall provide a Sleep Study Report covering three nights of collected sleep data, including respiratory events (apneas and hypopneas, A+H index), snoring intensity, blood oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and respiratory effort. Contractor will analyze the data and provide a comprehensive report to the prescribing VA physician. Contractor shall provide an FDA-approved and clinically validated portable test device for sleep apnea testing at the residence of any veteran, or for performing a sleep study for any hospitalized patient. Individually Identifiable Health Information (IIHI) must not be located or stored on portable test devices at any time. No geographic restriction shall be placed on any veteran to be tested. Contractor physicians interpreting each sleep study must be American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Board Certified/AASM Board eligible. a) Timeliness Requirements Contractor shall make initial contact with the patient to arrange a sleep study within 5 calendar days of the receipt of the referral. All sleep studies will be scheduled for a completion date within 20 calendar days of the initial referral. Contractor shall advise clinical staff of any difficulty in communicating with the patient and/or inability to schedule the sleep study for completion within the above-specified time frames. Contractor shall provide to VA clinical staff, via upload to contractor's secure site, a sleep study report for each referred patient within 5 calendar days of receipt of sleep study data from the patient. Contractor shall advise clinical staff of any delay by the patient in completing the sleep study. A "delay" is considered any sleep study not completed and data returned by the patient within the 20 calendar day time frame. b) Reporting Requirements Contractor will upload sleep study reports to the secure Contractor website, which will in turn be accessed by VA physicians via log-in. The contractor will email an encrypted summary of patients studied to each respective campus (Manhattan and Brooklyn) each month. This report will include a list of all studies ordered by VA physicians with the following information: Initial of patient's last name and last 4 digits of SSN Date ordered Date performed* Date final report was provided to VA physicians.* *If a study has not been performed or a final report has not yet been provided, this must be noted as "pending" with a projected completion date. Contractor must be HIPAA-compliant and meet all current VA privacy policies and directives with regard to all patient data storage and transmission, including but not limited to VHA Directive 1605. Contractor must be in continual consultation with the VA New York Harbor Information Security Officer (ISO) to ensure compliance with all relevant policies and procedures. c) Documentation Requirements Contractor shall provide each patient a Questionnaire Packet which will request health status feedback such as patient history, health behaviors and lifestyle factors (sleep specific and non-sleep specific) for the patient to complete and return to the contractor. The Contractor is required to email an encrypted copy of the patient's completed questionnaire to the VA or upload a copy to the contractor's secure website for access by VA clinical staff. Contractor must provide sleep study report on contractor's secure website. Report must meet all current billing and coding requirements. d) Workload Data VA NYHHS expects to refer approximately 70 cases annually to the Contractor, from both the New York and Brooklyn campuses, as detailed below. Actual number of referred cases may be higher or lower depending upon patient need. Brooklyn Campus New York Campus Diagnostic Studies 60 10 Therapeutic Studies 60 10 TOTAL 120 20 Contractor shall provide sleep studies to an unlimited number of patients simultaneously. No limitation shall be placed on the number of veterans provided a sleep study. VA NYHHS may refer as many veterans as desired, including those patients requiring immediate testing due to medical necessity or policy. e) Facility Data No additional equipment, hardware or software shall be purchased, nor additional sleep technicians employed, by VA NYHHS in support of this Statement of Work. The Contractor shall provide all staff, equipment, consultation and assistance necessary to successfully perform sleep disorder testing on any patient referred by VA NYHHS. The Contractor is responsible for the equipment during transportation to and from the Veteran's residence. The Contractor must provide packaging material to be used for the return shipment. The Contractor is responsible for all shipping charges to and from each Veteran's residence. Neither VA NYHHS nor the Veteran will be charged for any damaged equipment regardless of the reason. f) Place of Performance Diagnostic and therapeutic sleep studies will take place in patient homes. g) Procedure for Referral and Scheduling The designated VA clinical staff shall notify the Contractor when a sleep study has been authorized and will provide the Contractor with all necessary patient contact information. Contractor will provide their customer representative contact information including name(s), email address(es), and phone number(s) in the event VA clinical staff must contact the contractor with questions. h) Transfer of Patients Not applicable. Studies are performed in patient homes. i) Patient Safety Contractor must have a 24-hour help line for patients who have questions regarding equipment. In the event of a medical emergency, patients must call 911 or report to the nearest Emergency Department. j) Exchange of Data Contractor must maintain a secure website for VA physicians to log in and review test data securely and track patient outcome data via a database. The website must have the capability for authorized personnel to access medical information that will leave an audit trail for review. Any change to a patient's record will record the date, time, and person who made the adjustment. Contractor computer system must meet the following requirements: Meet all security standards required of VA computer systems. Computer hosting the website must be located in a hardened data center that meets all FISMA requirements. All patient data, including both electronic and paper formats, must be stored in a secure area. All electronically transmitted data must be encrypted with software that is FIPS 140-2 compatible. As noted above in Section 2, Requirements: Individually Identifiable Health Information (IIHI) must not be located or stored on portable test devices at any time. k) Billing Invoices shall be submitted monthly and mailed to the following address: Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center P.O. Box 149971 Austin, TX 78714-8971 The following information must be included on invoices received for payment: " Vendor name " Remittance address (address where the payment is to be issued) " Complete purchase order number (e.g. 630A42345) " Itemized description of service including dates performed, quantity, and unit price " Total dollar amount of invoice " Discount or net terms For any invoices mailed to the above address, Contractor may direct inquiries to the toll free number (1-877-353-9791) or the vendor website (www.fsc.va.gov/FSC/Vendors). Under no circumstances may Contractor bill any patient for services provided under this contract. Contractor is prohibited from marketing any products or materials to patients studied under this contract. l) Payments Payment will be made for completed studies only. A "completed study" is defined as a report received in entirety by either the Manhattan or Brooklyn campus. A completed sleep study report will cover three nights of collected sleep data, including respiratory events (apneas and hypopneas, A+H index), snoring intensity, blood oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and respiratory effort, as well as an interpretation by a physician who is Board Certified/Eligible in Sleep Medicine. m) Penalty for non-Performance If it is determined by VA clinical staff that the interpretation of the Sleep Study is inadequate, then a repeat study will be performed at no additional cost to VA NYHHS. n) Reimbursement Method Contractor shall provide Sleep Study Reports on a flat fee-for-service basis. o) Educational and Research Activities Not applicable. 3. References None. 4. Delivery Contractor shall provide upload the Sleep Study Report and Questionnaire to their website, and fax and/or mail these items to the office and/or individual as identified by the VA NYHHS within timeframes described above. 5. Progress and Compliance Quality and timeliness of Sleep Studies and Sleep Study Reports will be monitored by the Chief, Pulmonary Section at both the Brooklyn and Manhattan Campuses, or their designees, such as another physician in each section. Any deviations from the terms specified in this contract will be corrected and may result in decreased payment for the study in question. 6. Notes and Other Information None.
- Record
- SN01379449-W 20070823/070822065535 (fbodaily.com)
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