How To Get A Contract From The Health Care Quality Forum

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR Outreach & Education Consulting Services To Promote EHR and HIE Adoption RELEASE DATE: APRIL 30, 2013 DUE DATE: MAY 14 5:00PM CST Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum (LHCQF) 8550 United Plaza, Suite 500 Baton Rouge, LA

2 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS TERMS AND CONDITIONS PROJECT OBJECTIVES/DELIVERABLES PROPOSAL FORMAT EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURES... 9 Page 2 of 10

3 1. INTRODUCTION Objective Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum (LHCQF) is issuing this Request for Proposal (RFP) to obtain outreach and educational consulting services to promote the adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Health Information Exchange (HIE) participation. The following pages provide instructions for the preparation of a proposal that will enable you to address the requirements in this bid. This document in no way represents an offer to contract. Only the execution of a written contract will obligate LHCQF in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in such contract. Company Information LHCQF is a private, not for profit organization, formed in 2007 as a multi-stakeholder organization whose mission is To Lead Evidence-based Collaborative Initiatives to Improve the Health of the People of Louisiana. Our volunteer board represents a cross section of public and private insurance purchasers, patient advocates, providers, physicians and insurers in the state. The Quality Forum s initiatives include health information technology, quality measurement and analytics, clinical quality improvement, promotion of patient-centered medical homes/care coordination, LaPOST and outreach and education. Project Background Improving health care in the United States through the use of health information technology is a major initiative today. For providers, it begins with the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) funded 62 Regional Extension Centers across the country to help more than 100,000 primary care providers meaningfully use EHRs by April The Louisiana Health Information Technology (LHIT) Resource Center, a program of the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum, serves as the Regional Extension Center for our state and has received $7.8 million in federal grant funds to support its work. The LHIT Resource Center is currently assisting more than 1,700 priority primary care and specialty care providers across the state in the adoption and implementation of EHRs to maintain patients' health information. In addition to providers adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs, the next step involves the ability to securely exchange health information within and across states for the purpose of promoting continuity of patient care. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) granted 56 awards totaling $548 million to help states and territories advance health information exchange among providers and hospitals in their designated areas. The Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum received $10.6 million in 2010 and serves as the designated, neutral entity to build and support a health information exchange (HIE) in our state. Known as LaHIE, the exchange allows authorized providers and organizations to electronically access and share health-related information through a secure and confidential network for the purpose of improving patient safety, quality of care and health outcomes. Page 3 of 10

4 2. QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS Qualified applicants will: Demonstrate sufficient corporate experience and resources necessary to ensure project success. Outline a multi-pronged approach to educate providers across all care settings and geographies across the state regarding health IT initiatives and related incentives. Present a work breakdown structure and resource plan for the implementation project. Document a detailed breakdown of project costs, including travel and material expenses. Document expected travel requirements. Propose a core team of project staff with appropriate expertise, credentials, and availability to carry out the Scope of Work described in this RFP. 3. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Event Release RFP RFP Responses Due Date 04/30/2013 5:00pm CST 05/14/2013 5:00pm CST Disclaimer To guarantee receipt of the best and most complete RFP response possible, LHCQF reserves the right to change the EVENT SCHEDULE at any given time, without prior notice. All response material must be received by the date specified on the EVENT SCHEDULE. No additional RFP responses or additional materials will be accepted after the specified deadline. 4. TERMS AND CONDITIONS Responses to this RFP will be received and reviewed completely. A demonstration of the proposed solution may also be requested of respondents in addition to the RFP response, and as part of the qualifying process. All RFP responses must be sent by to dyarnall@lhcqf.org and received no later than May 14, :00 PM CST. 4.1 Restriction on Communication Page 4 of 10

5 From the issue date of this RFP until a Notice of Intent to Award the Contract is issued, organizations may only contact LHCQF in writing to ask questions related to the interpretation of this RFP. Oral questions related to the interpretation of the RFP will not be accepted. 4.2 Downloading the RFP from the Internet The RFP and any addenda to the RFP will be posted at Organizations are advised to check the website periodically for Addenda to this RFP, particularly if the organization downloaded the RFP from the Internet as the organization may not automatically receive addenda. It is the organization's sole responsibility to check for addenda to posted documents. 4.3 Amendment to the RFP LHCQF reserves the right to amend the RFP at any time using an addendum. If LHCQF issues an addendum after the due date for receipt of Proposals, LHCQF may, in its sole discretion, allow organizations to amend their Proposals in response to the addendum. 4.4 No commitment to Contract LHCQF reserves the right, without limit, to accept or reject any or all response(s) to the RFP, even if all of the stated requirements are met. LHCQF further reserves the right to award the project, or components of the project, to consultants based only on the discretionary decision of LHCQF. 4.6 Reference Checks LHCQF reserves the right to contact any reference to assist in the evaluation of the Proposal, to verify information contained in the Proposal and to discuss the organization s qualifications and the qualifications of any subcontractor identified in the Proposal. 4.7 Information from Other Sources LHCQF reserves the right to obtain and consider information from other sources concerning a organization, such as the organization s capability and performance under other contracts, the qualifications of any subcontractor identified in the Proposal, financial stability, past or pending litigation, and other publicly available information. 4.8 Verification of Proposal Contents The content of a Proposal submitted by an organization is subject to verification. If LHCQF determines in its sole discretion that the content is in any way misleading or inaccurate, they may reject the Proposal. 4.9 Confidentiality No portion of a potential consultant s proposal will be divulged to any other potential consultant. LHCQF reserves the right to share with any consultant of our choosing the RFP and any resultant proposal in order to secure expert opinion. If applicable, LHCQF reserves the right to share pricing and terms and conditions with third party financing or leasing concerns Release of Claims By submitting a Proposal, the organization agrees that it will not bring any claim or cause of action against LHCQF based on any misunderstanding concerning the information provided in the RFP or concerning LHCQF's failure, negligent or otherwise, to provide the organization with pertinent Page 5 of 10

6 information in this RFP. By submitting a Proposal, the organization thereby releases LHCQF from any liability arising from any such claim or cause of action Presentations At the sole discretion of LHCQF, organizations may be required to make a presentation of the Proposal. The presentation may occur at LHCQF s office, via webinar or other location as specified by LHCQF. LHCQF requires the organization s project manager and contract administrator involved in providing the goods and services contemplated by this RFP to be present at the presentation whether in person or via a webinar. If the presentation is via webinar the organization may send a representative to attend in person. The determination as to need for presentations, the location, order, and schedule of the presentations is at the sole discretion of LHCQF. The presentation may include slides, graphics and other media selected to illustrate the organization s Proposal. The presentation shall not materially change the information contained in the Proposal Evaluation of Proposals Submitted Proposals that are timely submitted and are not rejected will be reviewed in accordance with Section 7 of the RFP. LHCQF will not necessarily award a contract resulting from this RFP to the organization offering the lowest cost. Instead, LHCQF will award the Contract(s) to the Responsible organization whose Responsive Proposal LHCQF believes will provide the best value to the Health Information Technology (HIT) project Choice of Law and Forum This RFP and the Contract shall be governed by the laws of the State of Louisiana. Changes in applicable laws and rules may affect the award process or the Contract. Organizations are responsible for ascertaining pertinent legal requirements and restrictions. Any and all litigation or actions commenced in connection with this RFP shall be brought in the appropriate Louisiana forum Negotiations LHCQF may enter into negotiations with more than one consultant simultaneously and award the contract, or part of the contract, to any consultant in negotiations without prior notification to any other consultant negotiating with LHCQF. LHCQF reserves the right to negotiate all elements that comprise the consultant's proposal to ensure that the best possible consideration be afforded to all concerned. LHCQF reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to re-solicit for proposals in such an event. The contract shall be prepared under the direction of LHCQF and shall incorporate all applicable provisions. Page 6 of 10

7 5. PROJECT OBJECTIVES/DELIVERABLES 5.1 Education of providers throughout the state regarding federal and state health information technology programs in order to promote the adoption and meaningful use of of electronic health records (EHRs) and participation in the Louisiana Health Information Exchange (LaHIE). Priority is to be given to those providers who care for Medicare and Medicaid patients and those in rural and underserved areas of the state. Successful project shall demonstrate an increase in provider participation in LaHIE, the LHIT Resource Center, EHR Incentive programs, and other HIT initiatives. Page 7 of 10

8 6. PROPOSAL FORMAT Respondents shall provide the following information. The organized response ( Main Document ) should be a single PDF document that is in the following order. Any Addenda must be submitted as separate documents and will be considered optional for review. Addenda should still be referenced in the Outline section of the Main Document and easily identifiable. Respondents should organize the proposal in the following format and information sequence. The proposal must be submitted electronically in MS Word, MS Excel and/or MS PowerPoint format. 6.1 Business Organization: Please provide the following: a. Full name; Legal and Trade Name b. Authorized Negotiator (name and address of a person(s) in your organization authorized to negotiate contract terms and render binding decisions on contract matters c. Address d. Phone number & Fax number e. Website address f. Parent company (if operating as subsidiary) g. Indicate entity type; partnership, corporation, individual, LLC, etc h. Public or Private Company i. Date company founded j. State of incorporation or formation k. Do you intend to use subcontractors? If yes, please describe. l. If you intend to use subcontractors, are any of them small, minority, or women-owned businesses? m. Signed affidavit stating your participation in the E-Verify system n. W9 6.2 Business Background Please give a brief background on your company including core competencies, ability to lead in the market, financial stability, and performance on previous and present contracts similar in scope to the subject of this RFP. 6.3 References and Experience Provide a contact name and telephone number for the references of at least three (3) companies for which the potential consulting firm has provided comparable services. Provide information about your pertinent experience (i.e. successful implementations, which state(s), which organizations, how long have these been in operation, your key successes, etc.) and your approach. Part of our evaluation will include telephone reference checks to your existing clients. Reference #1 Reference Name Reference Page 8 of 10

9 Reference Phone Description of Experience Relevancy Reference #2 Reference Name Reference Reference Phone Description of Experience Relevancy Reference #3 Reference Name Reference Reference Phone Description of Experience Relevancy 6.4 Project Objective Plan Proposal, including projected cost and timelines, to meet requirements as outlined in Section EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURES The evaluation of each response to this RFP will be based on the organization s demonstrated competence, compliance, format, and applicability. The purpose of this RFP is to identify those organizations that have the interest, capability, experience and financial strength to satisfy the project objectives. Evaluation of your response will take place as indicated in the EVENT SCHEDULE. LHCQF will appoint a team to evaluate and score all complete responses. Many criteria will be factored into the selection decision including, but not limited to, past business experience providing comparable services, financial strength, cost, support, and process flexibility. The evaluation of any response may incorporate input from sources other than response and supplementary materials submitted by the bidder. LHCQF will not necessarily award a Contract resulting from this RFP to the respondent offering the lowest cost. Page 9 of 10

10 Finalist may be asked to provide a presentation of their proposal onsite to LHCQF. LHCQF will provide adequate facilities for the presentations and will assume responsibility for staff scheduling attendance. This step may be eliminated at the discretion of LHCQF. Evaluation Criteria Evaluators will score those respondents who: Show clear, complete understanding of the scope of work of this engagement. Demonstrate past project successes around outreach and education projects. Present a resource plan that will structure the project team for success. Present a project plan that the evaluation team believes shows the highest chance of success. Show availability of sufficient, qualified staff for the project. Deliver a competitive bid and demonstrate flexibility in contract terms and engagement methodology. Selection and Notification Respondents determined to possess the capacity to compete for this contract will be selected to move into the negotiation phase of this process. Notice of Intent to Award the Contract will be sent to all respondents submitting a timely Proposal. If the successful organization fails to negotiate and deliver an executed Contract timely, LHCQF, in its sole discretion, may cancel the award and award the Contract to the respondent LHCQF believes will provide the best value to the project. Page 10 of 10