The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is posting this pre-solicitation notice in accordance with (IAW) FAR Subpart 5.2 - Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions. The VA has a reasonable expectation th... The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is posting this pre-solicitation notice in accordance with (IAW) FAR Subpart 5.2 - Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions. The VA has a reasonable expectation that a solicitation will be posted following the minimum 15 day requirement. The government believes the solicitation will be posted on or after May 30th, 2024.
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VHA Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Title of Project: VHA Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation 2. Scope of Work: The contractor shall provide all resources necess... VHA Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Title of Project: VHA Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation 2. Scope of Work: The contractor shall provide all resources necessary to accomplish the deliverables described in the performance work statement, except as may otherwise be specified. To continue a comprehensive accreditation process by a national recognized external accrediting body for all VHA Radiation Oncology Programs. The contractor shall provide accreditation surveys to (41) VHA Radiation Oncology Programs to include a thorough third party, impartial peer review and evaluation of patient care. The off-site and onsite surveys include at a minimum review of following data; Staffing levels, qualifications and credentials of radiation oncologist(s) and medical physicist(s), staff roles and responsibilities, and on-going training of staff. On-site availability of Radiation Oncologist(s) and medical physicist(s), Radiation treatment management data that include history & physical/consultation, treatment sections, patient evaluation, care coordination, treatment summary and follow-up from cases randomly selected and anonymized on electronic submission, Medical Physics operation that include treatment chart documentation, treatment simulation, treatment planning, treatment plan evaluation, and patient-specific QA . Quality Control Program: instrumentations, simulation/treatment machine/quality assurance, treatment planning and general quality assurance and quality management, culture of safety, radiation safety, and Information Management and integration of Systems. Practice s Policy and Procedures, Peer review of clinical processes, Performance Measurement and Outcomes Reporting, and Practice s Continuous Quality Improvement initiatives. Clinical data backup storage and recovery policies Recommendations of findings shall be based on nationally recognized guidelines, including American College of Radiology (ACR) technical standards, ACR Appropriateness Criteria, American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) white papers, and the American Association of Physics in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group reports and technical standards. The surveyors shall consist of board-certified radiation oncologists and board-certified medical physicists, and act as data collectors only. All data from the survey application and the on-site survey shall be compiled and submitted for final recommendations regarding accreditation to a review committee of the contractor, which at a minimum shall be composed of experienced board-certified radiation oncologists and medical physicists. In addition to the accreditation survey report, the contractor shall provide individualized Practice Quality Improvement (PQI) report to all full-time VHA radiation oncology physicians and VHA medical physicists employed by Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) at no additional charge. If any corrective action measures are identified, the final report will request additional documentation that demonstrates that these have been appropriately addressed. When this documentation is submitted and reviewed, a certificate of satisfactory completion of the PQI project will be issued to each participating radiation oncologist and medical physicist. 3. Background: The Under Secretary for Health requested on-site accreditation inspections of all VHA facilities providing radiation oncology services. In response to this request, Specialty Patient Care Services contracted with the American College of Radiology to conduct a second round of accreditation surveys. Initiated after January 1, 2008, these surveys were completed over a three-year period ending in FY2011. The product was to have a 3-year accreditation or recommendations for improvement in practice and patient outcomes to meet or exceed national standards and ensure high quality healthcare in all VHA Radiation Oncology program for all Veterans. The re-accreditation process goes in 3-year cycles The accreditation process shall be designed to promote quality and be educational in nature, it shall include at a minimum an on-site survey performed by a board-certified radiation oncologist and board-certified medical physicist. The contractor shall review one Practice Quality Improvement (PQI) project for each VHA radiation oncologist(s) and medical physicist(s) during on-site survey to determine that it fulfills, Improvement in Medical Practice requirement for Maintenance of Certification(MOC) for the American Board of Radiology (ABR). The PQI assessment will not require the submission of any additional data by the site. Following the survey, a final report and certificate of satisfactory completion of PQI project shall be issued to each participating radiation oncologist and medical physicist. If any recommended action measures are identified, the final report shall request additional documentation that demonstrates that such measures have been appropriately addressed. 4. Performance Period: The period of performance is a 5 year ordering periods projected to begin 01 September 2024, with a completion date of 31 August 2025 with an ultimate completion date of 31 August 2029. Work at the government site shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO). 5. Projected Type of Contract: Indefinite Delivery Requirements Contract with a 5 Year Ordering Period 6. Place of Performance: VHA Radiation Oncology Programs applying for accreditation, or re-accreditation prior to initial accreditation expiration, must submit an application through the Contractor s secure website. The application should consist of submission of facility treatment and equipment information, staffing levels and qualifications, policies and procedures for patient care, and physics Quality Assurance/Quality Control documentation. If deficiencies are noted or missing items identified, the facility will be contacted so that any missing items can be submitted before the on-site survey is scheduled. When the application is complete, the date of the on-site survey will be confirmed. At this time, the facility will receive a notice to submit cases (Census Data Form) from which 10 (or more) will be selected for review during the site visit. The on-site survey is conducted over one business day (for a single facility) B. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1. For every task, the contractor shall identify in writing all necessary subtasks (if any), associated costs by task, and together with associated sub milestone dates. The contractor's subtask structure shall be reflected in the technical proposal and detailed project management plan (PMP). 2. All written deliverables will be phrased in layperson language. Statistical and other technical terminology will not be used without providing a glossary of terms. 3. When survey date is confirmed, The Contractor staff will ask the facility to submit a list of definitively treated patients who have recently completed treatment at applying facility and have had at least one follow up visit. The Contractor will send an email message that will prompt the Radiation Oncology Center to complete the appropriate census data sheets when facility receives confirmation of the survey dates. During the on-site survey, 10 cases will be reviewed. ID numbers, not patient names, will be submitted for 5 breast, 5 prostate, 5 head and neck, 5 lung and 5 generic disease sites (Colo-rectal, seminoma, brain, Hodgkin s disease, cervix, etc.) on the census data sheets provided. If facility does not have 5 cases from a disease site (such as head and neck), additional generic cases may be submitted. To ensure that all physicians in the practice are reviewed, physician initials must be included with patient ID numbers. A minimum of 2 cases per physician will be reviewed. In addition, cases selected should include all treatment modalities offered at applying facilities, such as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), prostate seed implants, stereotactic radiosurgery, etc. For all cases, patient records including simulation information, DRRs, port films (hard copies if appropriate), and CT planning documentation will be made available for the surveyors. If the facility has electronic images and/or medical records, facility will provide electronic access to this information. The surveyors will need to have their own laptops with wireless internet access for data collection on site. Each VHA Radiation Oncology Center will provide a designated navigator for the physician and medical physicist surveyors for electronic medical records/digital imaging systems chart review. All surveyors shall complete VA TMS Training: VA Privacy Awareness, Information Security Training, and Rules of Behavior, and Privacy and HIPAA Training prior to their initial survey, and update annually. All surveyors must provide training certificates to both point of contact designated by the contractor and the National Radiation Oncology Program Office Contracting Officer s Representative (COR). 4. During the visit, the surveyors will tour the facility, verify the information submitted in the facility s application, conduct an interview with the Chief/Medical Director of Radiation Oncology, the chief physicist, department administrator, chief therapist, dosimetrist, nurse and other key personnel, and collect information about the facility s patient treatment policies and procedures, safety initiatives and review the selected cases. The radiation oncologist and medical physicist will review charts and document responses to a set of questions developed by the contractor. Chart reviews should include components such as complete and signed prescriptions, consent forms, pathology reports, history and physical, physician management during treatment and follow up, appropriateness of treatment, simulation/treatment planning and dosimetry activities. At the end of the day, the surveyors will again meet with the group for a brief exit interview. This is primarily to clarify any issues prior to their departure; the team may not provide their recommendations at this time since that will be the Contractor s Review Committee decision, which will be made following review of the results of the survey. A comprehensive review of the facility s physics program will be included as part of the application process and verified during the on-site survey. The Chief Therapeutic Medical Physicist is responsible for the design and implementation of the physics quality management program at VA. The following areas will require documentation submitted with the application: Documentation of compliance with appropriate AAPM/ACR/ASTRO recommendations and technical practice standards. Documentation of treatment planning system quality assurance program based on AAPM technical standards Independent Verification of Output of each clinical beam Documentation of end-to-end testing of all advanced procedures such as, IMRT, SBRT, and SRS. In addition, during the on-site survey, the qualified medical physicist s documentation of the following will be reviewed: Procedures for instrument calibration and periodic instrument constancy checks Procedures to verify the manufacturer s specifications and to establish baseline performance values for radiation therapy equipment, Interconnectivity and interoperability of equipment used for radiation treatment planning, delivery, and quality assurance, Quality management program for radiation therapy equipment, simulators, treatment planning systems, and monitor unit calculation algorithms Monitor units calculation procedures and protocols Physics chart check protocol for reviewing treatment planning and delivery Procedures for checking the integrity of mechanical and electrical patient care devices Radiation protection program as it pertains to radiation oncology. Calculations related to patient dosimetry and/or physics measurements when such needs arise or per clinician s requests. Equipment repair/maintenance records and follow up actions New equipment acquisition plan C. SPECIFIC MANDATORY TASKS AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERABLES Description of Tasks and Associated Deliverables: The Contractor shall provide the specific deliverables described below within the performance period stated in Section A.4 of this PWS. To meet the needs of the National Oncology Office, on average fourteen sites (14) sites will be completed per ordering year period. Task One: This contract is subject to the completion of existing 41 radiation oncology site surveys or any additional site(s) added in the 3-year accreditation cycle. Each on-site survey visits shall be completed in one day. Fourteen (14) sites shall undergo the accreditation process (off-site and on-site review) for Ordering Year Period 1, and fourteen (14) for Ordering Year Period 2, until all sites have undergone the assessment. The COR will monitor performance in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of the contract. Deliverable One: Accrediting body will award a three-year certificate to sites that meet established radiotherapy practice standards and/or recommendations for practice improvement to be addressed by site through a Corrective Action Plan for sites that receive provisional accreditation or denial. A decision and final report will be completed within 12 weeks of the survey date and sent to the Medical Center Director, Service Chief/Medical Director of Center s Radiation Oncology Service/Section and COR for the National Radiation Oncology Program. Task Two: For payment purposes, all VHA Radiation Oncology Centers will be classified within the accrediting body fee schedule. Upon verified receipt of the required report by the COR, and submittal of proper invoices, the accrediting body obligation will be payable whether full, deferred, or denied accreditation is rendered to the VHA Radiation Oncology Center. Deliverable Two: Reports submitted to COR as required in paragraph D, Deliverable One, and submittal of proper invoices. Task Three: Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) both for the radiation oncologist(s) and medical physicist(s). Deliverable Three: Final report and certificate of satisfactory completion of practice assessment will be issued to each participating radiation oncologist. VHA Radiation Oncology Centers VISN Station Facility 2 528 Albany 11 506 Ann Arbor 7 508 Atlanta 5 512 Baltimore 8 516 Bay Pines 1 523 Boston 3 526 Bronx 3 630 Brooklyn 10 541 Cleveland 17 549 Dallas 10 552 Dayton 11 553 Detroit 6 558 Durham 3 561 East Orange 12 578 Hines 16 580 Houston 11 583 Indianapolis 16 586 Jackson 15 589 Kansas City 22 600 Long Beach 22 691 Los Angeles 12 607 Madison 9 614 Memphis 8 546 Miami 12 695 Milwaukee 23 618 Minneapolis 9 621 Mountain Home, TN 3 632 Northport 16 635 Oklahoma City 8 675 Orlando 4 642 Philadelphia 4 646 Pittsburgh 6 652 Richmond 17 671 San Antonio 8 672 San Juan 20 663 Seattle 16 667 Shreveport 15 657 St. Louis 8 673 Tampa 5 688 Washington 8 548 West Palm Beach D. SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERABLES 1. The contractor shall complete the Delivery Date for each deliverable specified. 2. If for any reason the scheduled time for a deliverable cannot be met, the contractor is required to explain why (include the original deliverable due date) in writing to the Contracting Officer (CO), including a firm commitment of when the work shall be completed. This notice to the CO shall cite the reasons for the delay, and the impact on the overall project. The CO will then review the facts and issue a response in accordance with applicable regulations. E. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS The Accrediting Body will ensure the confidentially of all patient and employee information and shall be liable in the event of breach of confidentiality. Any person who discloses confidential information from the VA may be criminally liable for violations under this regulation. All materials are confidential and are protected under the Privacy Act of 1974, Title 38 U.S.C., Sections 5701, 5705 and 7332. The Contractor survey reports are protected under 38.U.S.C. 5705 which provides that records and documents created by VHA as a part of a designed medical quality assurance program are confidential and privileged and may not be disclosed to any person or entity except when specifically authorized by the statute. The Contractor shall provide VHA with the full assurance that security measures have been implemented. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requirements will be exercised in their business dealing with Protected Health Information (PHI). A business associate agreement (BAA) will ensure that the accrediting team and body will appropriately safeguard the PHI received from the application for accreditation. In addition to deliverables specified above, the Accrediting Body is also required to provide the COR with accreditation process summary reports every three months (quarterly Oct-Nov-Dec, Jan-Feb-Mar, Apr-May-Jun, Jul-Aug-Sep). The Contractor shall submit quarterly reports to COR by the 15th of the next month after the end of each quarter. The progress report will cover all work completed during the preceding quarter and will present the work to be accomplished during the quarter. The report must identify any problems, which arose, and a statement explains how the problem was resolved. 6. If for any reason a deliverable cannot be delivered as scheduled, the Contractor is required to submit a request for a time extension to the Contracting Officer. This request will cite the reasons for the delay, the impact on the overall project, and the impact on the cost of this project. The CO will consider each request based on its merits, and will, if appropriate, issue a modification to the task order. The Contractor is required to proceed as originally scheduled until such modification is issued F. TRAVEL Fully Burdened price for surveys should include cost of travel. VA will not reimburse travel costs. G. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Each VHA Radiation Oncology Center will provide, private office/conference room space for on-site visit, telephone service, and procedural guides, reference materials and program documentation as specified in scope of work. H. CONTRACTOR EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS KEY PERSONNEL These skilled experienced professional and/or technical personnel are essential for successful contractor accomplishment of the work to be performed under this contract and subsequent task orders and options. The Contractor shall validate the credentials and curriculum vitae of the key personnel in charge of the certification/accreditation for verification that the accreditation program body has the expertise to perform the scope of work. The accrediting team shall consist of the minimum of one board certified Radiation Oncologist and Medical Physicist each with a minimum of 5 years of practice experience, dependent on the survey complexity. The Medical Physicist shall be board certified in Therapeutic Medical Physics by the American Board of Radiology, or by the American Board of Medical Physics. Upon award, submittal of names, credentials and CVs of key personnel to the COR. These are defined as key personnel and are those persons whose CV s were submitted. The contractor agrees that the key personnel shall not be removed, diverted, or replaced from work without approval of the CO and COR. Any personnel the contractor offers as substitutes shall have the ability and qualifications equal to or better than the key personnel being replaced. Requests to substitute personnel shall be approved by the COR and the CO. All requests for approval of substitutions in personnel shall be submitted to the COR and the CO within 30 calendar days prior to making any change in key personnel. The request shall be written and provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution. The contractor shall submit a complete resume for the proposed substitute, any changes to the rate specified in the order (as applicable) and any other information requested by the CO needed to approve or disapprove the proposed substitution. The CO will evaluate such requests and promptly notify the contractor of approval or disapproval thereof in writing. I. PROJECTED PRICING SCHEDULE The Contractor shall provide the following VHA Radiation Oncology accreditation services in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract. The Contractor shall provide firm-fixed pricing for each contract line item for the base period and two option years. Ordering Year Period 1: 1 September 2024 31 August 2025 CLIN NO. DESCRIPTION QUANTITY UNIT UNIT TOTAL AMOUNT PRICE 0001 Radiation Oncology Practice Evaluation Surveys 14 EA $____________ $__________ 0001A Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Radiation Oncology Physicians 28 EA N/C N/C 0001B Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification Program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Medical Physicist(s) 14 EA N/C N/C Â Total for Ordering Year 1 Â Â Â Ordering Year Period 2: 1 September 2025 31 August 2026 CLIN NO. DESCRIPTION QUANTITY UNIT UNIT TOTAL AMOUNT PRICE 1001 Radiation Oncology Practice Evaluation Surveys 14 EA $___________ $___________ 1001A Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Radiation Oncology Physicians 28 EA N/C N/C 1001B Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification Program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Medical Physicist(s) 14 EA N/C N/C Â Total for Ordering Year 2 Â Â Â Ordering Year Period 3: 1 September 2026 31 August 2027 CLIN NO. DESCRIPTION QUANTITY UNIT UNIT TOTAL AMOUNT PRICE 2001 Radiation Oncology Practice Evaluation Surveys 14 EA $_____________ $___________ 2001A Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Radiation Oncology Physicians 28 EA N/C N/C 2001B Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification Program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Medical Physicist(s) 14 EA N/C N/C Â Total for Ordering Year 3 Â Â Â Ordering Year Period 4: 1 September 2027 31 August 2028 CLIN NO. DESCRIPTION QUANTITY UNIT UNIT TOTAL AMOUNT PRICE 3001 Radiation Oncology Practice Evaluation Surveys 14 EA $____________ $___________ 3001A Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Radiation Oncology Physicians 28 EA N/C N/C 3001B Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification Program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Medical Physicist(s) 14 EA N/C N/C Â Total for Ordering Year 4 Â Â Â Ordering Year Period 5: 1 September 2028 31 August 2029 CLIN NO. DESCRIPTION QUANTITY UNIT UNIT TOTAL AMOUNT PRICE 4001 Radiation Oncology Practice Evaluation Surveys 14 EA $____________ $___________ 4001A Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Radiation Oncology Physicians 28 EA N/C N/C 4001B Assessment of Performance in Practice for the Maintenance of Certification Program for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) for VHA Medical Physicist(s) 14 EA N/C N/C Â Total for Ordering Year 5 Â Â Â Interested & Capable Responses NCO 5 is seeking responses from businesses that are interested in this procurement and consider themselves to have the resources and capabilities necessary to provide these services. Please respond with your: 1. Business name, business type, socio-economic status (e.g., Veteran-Owned, Woman-Owned, Disadvantaged Small Business, 8(a), etc.), and person of contact (including telephone number & email address) with proof of a System for Award Management (SAM.gov) registration. 2. Applicable GSA contract number; if you have one. 3. Capability statement and summary of relevant experience performing the duties related services requested in the Request for Information for VHA and other healthcare entities. 4. Ballpark cost estimate and suggested price schedule of what VHA could expect to pay your company to perform the work described above. See Projected Pricing Schedule for suggested Price Schedule. Responses to the information requested above must be submitted via email to ethan.mauzy@va.gov, by May 17th, 2024 NLT 11:00hrs EST. This request for information/sources sought notice is for planning purposes ONLY. The results of this market research will assist in the development of (1) the requirement, and (2) the acquisition strategy (e.g., small business set-aside, full and open competition, etc.). VA assumes no responsibility for any costs incurred associated with the preparation of responses submitted as a result of this notice.
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