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UPDATE: Solicitation number 36C25522Q0114 will be released on or about 26 January 2022. There WILL NOT BE a solicitation issued under 36C25521Q0529. This is an amendeded Source Sought notice updating ... UPDATE: Solicitation number 36C25522Q0114 will be released on or about 26 January 2022. There WILL NOT BE a solicitation issued under 36C25521Q0529. This is an amendeded Source Sought notice updating the requirements, NAICS code, and PSC code published under the original notice dated 22 July 2021 for 36C25521Q0529_1. All vendors MUST RESUBMIT their intent as the this publications specifies new requirements. NOTICE: This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. This notice is a market survey and is for information only to be used for preliminary planning purposes. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this notice. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR QUOTES AND NO CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED FROM THIS NOTICE. The Veterans Health Affairs, Network Contracting Office 15, has been tasked to solicit for and award Cancer and Clinical Registry Services (CCRS). Place of Performance will be virtual (offsite). From this point forward, KCVAMC will refer to all CCRS required from the medical facilities listed below: Department of Veterans Affairs Kansas City VA Medical Center, 4801 E Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64128 Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center, 2200 Gage Blvd., Topeka, KS 66622-0001 Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center, 4101 S. 4th Street, Leavenworth, KS 66048-5014 Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, 5500 E. Kellogg Avenue, Wichita, KS 67218-1607 Marion VA Medical Center, 2401 West Main St., Marion, IL 62959 Poplar Bluff VA Medical Center, 1500 N Westwood Blvd, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901 Harry S Truman Memorial Veteran's Hospital, 800 Hospital Dr, Columbia, MO 65201 Potential sources are responsible for providing all necessary labor, personnel, equipment, supplies, materials, supervision, and other related services necessary to provide off-site acute Cancer Registry Services in accordance with VA and all applicable national standards. The goal of this procurement is to establish a safe and uniform process for maintaining an efficient & accurate cancer registry database in accordance with 100% of the current Commission on Cancer (COC) standards, VHA cancer registry requirements, and State requirements (where applicable). This is a new requirement. Interested vendors shall have at least two (2) years of experience in providing cancer registry services and recent experience with the COC standards. The contractor shall provide proof of adequate staffing to cover Cancer Registry Services at multiple VMAC sites multiple locations as noted above. Minimum requirement is (1) approved and cleared contractor serving as the POC Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR), assigned to complete and/or oversee the work at this facility. The vendor may provide additional CTRs to accomplish the work expected on a monthly basis. No guarantees are made as to the estimated work or volumes, or the quantities. The current estimated backlog for CCRSs is 3000 cases, and annual cases are estimated at 2500. The estimates and actual work are subject to change by the Government. Offerors shall work remotely outside of the VA, and will require VA Access, personally owned computers, and PIV Cards with Logical Access. The proposed project is anticipated to be a firm, fixed-price requirement. The type of solicitation to be issued will depend upon the responses to this notice. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this notice or any follow up information requested. The purpose of this notice is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of various members of the Business Community to include Small Business or Large Business, Veteran Owned Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), HUBZONE, 8(a), etc., to complete and perform a Firm-Fixed-Price contract. After review of the responses to this Sources Sought announcement a synopsis and/or solicitation announcement may be published at a later time. The Government must ensure there is adequate competition among the potential pool of responsive contractors. The duration of the requirement is for a one-year base period with four each, one-year option periods. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code applicable to this acquisition is 561320 and the Product Service Code (PSC) is Q701 – Support Management: Data Collection. The Small Business Size Standard for this acquisition is $35M. Contractor shall provide evidence the Contractor’s Medical Record Technicians (MRT) Cancer Tumor Registrar (CTR), and/or Cancer Registrar/s) quality that meets or exceeds currently recognized national standards as established by: The National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) https://www.ncra-usa.org/CTR, The National Program of Cancer Registries: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/npcr/index.htm, The National Center for Health Statistics https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/index.htm, The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) CTR Management Course at https://ahima.org/education/onlineed/programs/crm, and, The Commission on Cancer Standards https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/cancer/coc. The Contractor shall be responsible for transcribing and interpreting information from patient records regarding treatment of patients. The Contractor shall review all new cases for inclusion in the DHCP, oncology software Oncotrax database in compliance with the industry standards of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER), World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICDC), American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual Criteria, VA Central Cancer Registry (VACCR) Reportable List, American College of Surgeons/Commission on Cancer (ACOS/CoC) and KCVAMC Cancer Registry criteria. Interested companies are asked to respond to this Sources Sought Notice no later than 4:00 PM (CST) on October 10, 2021. All interested companies must be registered in SAM (http://www.sam.gov/) to be eligible for award of government contracts. Please mail, fax or email your response to Stephen Showers NCO 15 Contracting Office, 3450 S. 4th Street, Leavenworth, KS; 60048, Email Address: stephen.showers@va.gov. Please reference the following in the subject line of all correspondence submitted: Cancer and Clinical Registry Services. Note: Phone calls WILL NOT be accepted. Email is the preferred method when receiving responses to this notice. - Your company’s name, addresses, point of contact, phone number, and email address. - Your company’s interest in submitting a proposal on the solicitation when it is issued. - Your company’s capability statement to meet the requirements. - Your company’s Business Size (Large or Small) and Socioeconomic Status (Veteran Owned, SDVOSB, HUBZONE, 8(a), etc.). - Your Company’s number of Registrars. - Size of your business pursuant to North American Industrial Classification Code (NAICS) GENERAL The Contractor shall provide all necessary staffing and resources needed to properly maintain the KCVAMC Cancer Registry database services in accordance with 100% of the current approved Veterans Administration (VA) abstracting software program (VISTA Oncotrax) Administration (VHA) Cancer Registry requirements. VA reportable list will be shared with the receiving contractor after award. The Contractor shall have current experience managing a Cancer Registry program within the last two years and have recent experience with the American College of Surgeons (ACOS) Commission on Cancer (COC) Standards. The duties and responsibilities of the Contractor shall include but are not limited to: The Contractor shall electronically screen and accept all cases into the Cancer Registry database, shall flag all cases as “suspense” with demographics and ensure cases are primary site coded. The Contractor shall be responsible for continuous review of disease indices, pathology reports, radiology reports, treatment logs, and other computerized methods to identify reportable cancer cases. The Contractor shall be responsible for transcribing and interpreting information from patient records regarding cancer treatments provided to an using the approved Veterans Administration (VA) abstracting software program (VISTA Oncotrax). The Contractor shall review and abstract the cancer patient’s medical record on an ongoing basis in compliance with the industry standards of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER), World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICDC), American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual Criteria, VA Central Cancer Registry (VACCR) Reportable List, American College of Surgeons and the Commission on Cancer (ACOS / CoC). Rejects: - The Contractor shall delete those cases in the database that need to be purged because the case does not meet the requirements for a reportable case. Rejection reports are to be submitted no later than the 10th calendar day following the end of each month. Report shall be transmitted electronically to the COR. Case Abstracting: – Abstracting is defined as coding and entering patient and disease specific information into the Veterans Administration Vista Cancer Registry database or other databases as identified within this statement of work, e.g., the Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS database). The Contractor shall utilize approved codes as indicated, i.e., ICD-O, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM, etc. as appropriate. The Contractor shall ensure that all cases are cleared in terms of passing all edits required by the VA Central Cancer Registry or by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, e.g., National Cancer Database edits, Vista Oncology package edits, Gen-edits Program edits, etc. Contractor to complete backlog of abstracts within 6 months of the start of contract and then maintain a backlog of six months or less backlog continuously. Responsible to transcribe and interpret information from patient records regarding treatment provided to new cancer patients annually using the approved Veterans Administration (VA) abstracting software program (currently the VISTA Oncotrax). The Contractor shall review and abstract the cancer patient’s medical record on an ongoing basis in compliance with the industry standards of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER), World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICDC), American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual Criteria, VA Central Cancer Registry (VACCR) Reportable List, American College of Surgeons / Commission on Cancer (ACOS / CoC), Missouri Cancer Registry (PCR), Illinois State Cancer Registry (ISCR), and Kansas State Registry (KSR). The contractor shall produce proof of current credential status of registrars provide abstracting services for VA cases. The Contractor shall abstract cases within 4-6 months of the cancer diagnosis. Follow-up: - The Contractor shall complete data entry to include all required Commission on Cancer Registry fields, including but not limited to text, recurrence, treatment and required death information fields. The Contractor shall be responsible for tracking the care all patients receive in the years following their cancer diagnosis at the KCVA Medical Center, and at other health care institutions. A trained follow-up clerk may provide these services. The Contractor shall provide the Cancer Registry function of Follow-up as described in the Standards of the American College of Surgeon’s Commission on Cancer (ACOS CoC) Facility Oncology Registry Data Standards (FORDS). These functions shall include computer input, data review and report generation tailored to the needs of the VA. The Contractor shall provide follow-up of living cancer patients in compliance with accepted industry standards, posting information on recurrence, subsequent therapy, date of last contact, vital status, cancer status, any comments supporting the findings. The Contractor shall include outcome data when applicable. Cases are delinquent (lost) if the follow-up interval exceeds 15 months. Contractor to provide by secure email monthly productivity report listing abstracts completed identified via last name and last four of the Social Security Number (SSN), follow-ups completed by last name and last four of the SS. Consultive Services: - Commission on Cancer Activities: The Contractor shall provide Consult Hours that shall include time spent working with the KCVAMC Cancer Program on Commission on Cancer related activities and/or providing data reports for quality studies/improvement projects. It is required that the vendor’s Project Manager assigned to VAMC attend all scheduled Cancer Committee Meetings and COC operational meetings/workgroups virtually or telephonically. Consult hours shall also ensure all current ACOS Commission on Cancer and related Cancer Registry standards are met. Consult hours shall include producing reports, ensuring that the Cancer Registry Policy and Procedure Manual meets the Commission on Cancer Standards and is up to date, and assisting and advising all Cancer Program Staff and Cancer Committee members with Commission on Cancer survey readiness and preparation. Consult hours shall also include preparation of data for transmission to NCDB for American College of Surgeons. The contractor shall assist with providing data analysis and reports, including for the triennial community needs assessment per CoC guidelines. The contractor will provide consultative services to assist in the Commission on Cancer survey preparedness. If abstracts are inadvertently re-opened after being in the completed status (e.g. when Vista Oncotrax patches are put in for example) , the Contractor shall maintain thorough documentation as to the reason the case reopened on 100% of the cases entered into by the Contractor, and shall resolve the issue within one working day after discovery and shall re-close the case and send the documentation to the Cancer Registry Coordinator, COR or designee monthly with the monthly invoice (this documentation may be reviewed by the ACOS Surveyor during the accreditation process). The Contractor may be asked to speak directly to an ACOS Cancer Program Surveyor; if requested, the Contractor shall speak with the ACOS Surveyor. The Contractor shall be responsible for preparing Cancer Registry reports for the Cancer Committee which meets at a minimum of 4 times a year, as applicable. Cancer Committee meets quarterly and will provide meeting dates one quarter in advance. The Contractor shall prepare reports on TNM staging completion, timeliness of abstracting, follow-up, and quality improvement of the Cancer Registry services. The Contractor shall bear all the costs of reports prepared for Cancer Committee meetings. Reporting Cancer Data / Transmission of Data: The Contractor shall be responsible for transmitting required submissions / resubmissions to the VA Center Cancer Registry (VACCR) and the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) within prescribed timeframes when requested by the facility and in conjunction with VA Registry Coordinator/Supervisory staff; shall request/maintain the required software for the transmissions; shall submit/and complete accurate reports, and make corrections, as required. The Contractor shall demonstrate knowledge of the VACCR and NCDB reporting requirements. If applicable, (VAMC and prospective State has a Data Transfer Agreement (DTA) enforced), state transmission is submitted in accordance with state requirements. Outcome Studies / Special Studies: The Contractor shall provide Cancer Registry data and analysis for outcome studies / special studies and assisting with preparation of the reports. The Contractor shall provide outcome studies / special studies for the medical staff, Cancer Committee, Cancer Conference / Tumor Board, Veterans Administration Central Cancer Registry (VACCR), and quality management upon request. The Contractor shall compare the data to the national data to determine effectiveness of treatment, programs, navigation and survival. The contractor shall also provide patient care evaluation studies for the annual cancer program report. Policy and Procedures - The Contractor shall maintain current Cancer Registry policies and procedures in compliance with CoC, NCDB and VACCR standards, and submit them to the COR at the applicable KCVAMC annually (or upon request) for review. The Contractor’s Cancer Registry policy and procedure manual must be specific to the applicable KCVAMC and specifying current CoC data definitions and coding instructions used to describe all reportable cases. The Contractor shall use the data standards defined by the CoC appropriate for the year of diagnosis for any specific case. The Contractor’s Cancer registrars shall be required to comply with additional mandates pertaining to case and data reporting as established by the Veterans Administration, federal or state government or by the applicable KCVAMC cancer committee. Reporting Cancer Data / Transmission of Data: The Contractor shall be responsible for transmitting required submissions / resubmissions to the VA Center Cancer Registry (VACCR) and the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) within prescribed timeframes when requested by the facility and in conjunction with VA Registry Coordinator/Supervisory staff; shall request/maintain the required software for the transmissions; shall submit/and complete accurate reports, and make corrections, as required. The Contractor shall demonstrate knowledge of the VACCR and NCDB reporting requirements, complete required privacy reports and submit them to the privacy officer in collaboration with the applicable KCVAMC Cancer Registry contact. If applicable, (VAMC and prospective State has a Data Transfer Agreement (DTA) enforced), state transmission is submitted in accordance with state requirements. ACoS / Commission on Cancer Survey Preparation: The Contractor shall be responsible for assisting with the Commission on Cancer / American College of Surgeons survey when requested by the facility, in collaboration with the facility Cancer Registry Coordinator, facility Certified Tumor Registrar and facility Cancer Program Administrator and/or Physician Cancer Liaison; for assisting with preparation of the survey; and updating the Survey Application Record in collaboration with the assigned and applicable KCVAMC representatives. The contractor will serve as a consultant for ACoS CoC standards compliance to include but not limited to recommendations of best practices as well as examples of appropriate documentation. Contractor will provide assistance with Survey Deficiency Resolution as indicated in the pending Performance Activity Report, when applicable. SAR audit program assessments to determine preparedness prior to survey recommended. The Contractor will provide one SAR audit yearly. Date of audit to be discussed and agreed upon with Cancer Program Administrator. Date of audit to be discussed and agreed upon with Cancer Program Administrator. The Contractor and the Cancer Program Administrator share responsibility for the survey by the CoC with respect to the accreditation standards pertaining to Cancer Registry. The Contractor shall also provide consultation about Cancer Registry issues to KCVAMC upon request by facility as needed, during normal working hours, Mondays through Fridays, 8:00am - 4:30pm, Central Standard Time. Contactor will provide one person onsite during the COC Survey. CoC standards updates and notifications: The contractor shall provide standards updates as needed to KCVAMC Cancer Committee members and cancer registry staff on any CoC standards changes affecting COC compliance. Quality Control of Registry data: Rapid Quality Reporting System: The Contractor shall monitor the quality of the Cancer Registry data. The Contractor shall monitor the facility's performance based on the CoC performance indicators, using the CoC reporting tools for the Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS). The Contractor shall keep the Program Manager, the Cancer Liaison Physician, and the Chair of the Cancer Program Committee and the Cancer Program Coordinator advised of the performance status on the 10th of each month from previous month’s production. RQRS is a real-time data collection program to assess hospital-level performance using National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed quality of cancer measures. The goal of the KCVAMC Cancer Program is to have available real-time quality data that is actionable for the improvement of patient care/navigation, which the selected vendor will work to support. Quality Control of corrections: The Contractor shall correct any mistakes in the registry cases made by them. This includes any data corrections as a result of edit error reports received from the NCDB or VACCR or records rejected because they lack supporting English text and/or have missing data elements. The Contractor shall correct all inconsistencies found through any quality assurance review within 1 month (or sooner if it impacts adversely on accreditation of the cancer program) of submission of inconsistencies, errors, warnings, or any other data quality problems. The contractor will make corrections to errors free of charge. Qualifications: Contract Medical Record Technicians (MRT) (Cancer Tumor Registrar (CTR) and/or Cancer Registrars) assigned by the Contractor to perform the services covered by this contract shall have a current CTR Certification to practice in any State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia. Contractor personnel functioning under this contract shall be certified by the National Cancer Registrars Association and have at least two (2) years of cancer registry experience. The Contractor shall verify its personnel’s current certification status with the National Cancer Registrars Association and shall provide evidence of certification with their proposal submission. All Contractor Cancer Registry staff who performs case abstracting must hold a current Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) credential. The CTR credential is granted through the National Cancer Registrars Association, which provides details on eligibility, testing, and re-credentialing. In addition, the Contractor shall provide documentation annually that all members of their Cancer Registry staff are maintaining their CTR status this requires 20 CEUs every 2 years as in accordance with industry standards Other: At the time the KCVAMC VAMC is prepared to seek accreditation through the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, the Contractor shall assist to obtain and maintain accreditation. This will ensure that requirements and initiatives are implemented and met; this includes ensuring all Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS) requirements are met and includes developing a Cancer Registry policy and procedure manual which meets the current Commission on Cancer Standards. If abstracts are inadvertently re-opened after being in the completed status (e.g. when Vista-Oncotrax patches are put in for example) , the Contractor shall maintain thorough documentation as to the reason the case reopened on 100% of the cases entered into by the Contractor, and shall resolve the issue within one working day after discovery and shall re-close the case and send the documentation to the POC, COR or designee monthly with the monthly invoice (this documentation may be reviewed by the ACOS Surveyor during the accreditation process). The Contractor may be asked to speak directly to an ACOS Cancer Program Surveyor; if requested, the Contractor shall speak with the ACOS Surveyor. The Contractor shall be responsible for preparing Cancer Registry reports for the Cancer Committee which meets 4-6 times a year as applicable to the KCVAMC VAMC facility. The Contractor shall prepare reports on TNM staging completion, timeliness of abstracting, follow-up, and quality improvement of the Cancer Registry services. The Contractor shall bear all the costs of reports prepared for Cancer Committee meetings.