Questions to solicitation 36C24521R0047.docx

Question to Solicitation 36C24521R0047

1. Page 6 4. A. “These devices shall be delivered and setup by a credentialed Respiratory Therapist or a technician supervised by the Respiratory Therapist” Would a trained service technician supervised by the respiratory therapist fulfill the requirements of this statement? Yes, this question has been presented to the Maryland Board of Physicians PSB and the Maryland /DC Society of Respiratory Care. There currently exists no prohibition for the set-up of home oxygen equipment/DME by a non-respiratory care practitioner. That being said , the language in the contract should be consistent.

1. Page 7 4.C. “The Respiratory Therapist or a technician supervised by the Respiratory Therapist will document the compliance and effectiveness of the beneficiary’s therapy through the remote access, by home visit or by using a commercially available third-party service within 30 days of the initial setup, at 90 days and then yearly.” I would like to clarify that this can be completed by using the manufacturers compliance software programs. The compliance has normally been documented at 30 and 90 days of pap setup by the RTs but has not been done yearly by the vendor for many years. The ability to have a commercially available third-party program is new to this contract. In my opinion, this is used when you don’t have the number of RTs on staff to monitor the compliance of our pap therapy Veterans after initial setup. The redundancy is in the contract to be consistent with who is able to setup and monitor pap therapy. Mask fittings and compliance issues that require a f2f visit after initial setup should be done by the RRT and not a technician. Only an RRT should perform initial 02 follow up visits after setup.

1. Page 8 6. “Initial set-up will be performed by a Respiratory Therapist.” Can the equipment be delivered by a delivery driver and then seen by the RT within 24 hours? This was an area of confusion ( see question 1 above) , we should determine our position on this.

1. Is there a maximum number of tanks allowed in the veteran’s home at one time? There is a standard for the storage of oxygen ( compressed gas) within an enclosure issue by NFPA as well as guidance and DOT mandates on safe practices during transport of oxygen.

1. Are travel charges billed on the monthly invoice or are they paid separately by PO? As far as I know, there are no travel charges. Maybe this is included in our typical $150 visit fee.

1. Solicitation states that equipment cannot be left unattended. With COVID is there no option for no contact delivery? We may have to be creative here and build specific language tailored to this practice.

1. Page 8 7. “All beneficiary switch-outs will be accomplished within the time frame established as soon as possible after award, but not to exceed 45 days.” Manufacturers are experiencing a higher demand than supply currently and lead times for equipment are extended. Would the transition timeframe be extended due to availability of equipment? With travel patients, we will give the Veteran a 30-day supply of oxygen. If they are going to exceed 30 days, then they must register with a local facility to continue oxygen use. However, we have granted one extension depending on the circumstance. Besides that, I am not sure what this applies to.

1. Page 21 3. Conserving Devices: D) Have alarm for low oxygen pressure level. E) Have alarm for “no inspiration taken”. CBJ researched this request for another contract and were not able to find a device that meets these two requests. Is there a specific device you are requesting? We do provide conserving devices, but I am unsure of these alarms. I can check with Respiratory.

1. Page 22 “NOTE: THE PRICE FOR ITEMS LISTED INCLUDES, DELIVERY, SET-UP, INITIAL AND QUARTERLY RCP VISITS (THE QUARTERLY VISITS ARE FOR OXYGEN), EDUCATION, PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS AS SPECIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER, TO INCLUDE ALL DISPOSABLE SUPPLIES AS LISTED” Are the quarterly visits included in the rental fee for the oxygen equipment or are the billed separately under CLIN 0019?

They are included.

1. Page 23 5. For the delivery of neb supply kits, is there no line item to cover the cost of delivery/shipping? This is covered under the delivery and set-up.

1. Page 23 5. A. CPAP supplies:

10. Are they supplied by the VA and stored at the contractor’s facility? Yes.

10. Is it the responsibility of the contractor to track when the patient is eligible for new supplies? No. The Veteran is supposed to notify and is given a number to call.

10. How does the contractor bill for shipping the supplies to the veteran? We do not pay for any shipping if it is a local Veteran being seen at the facility. If it is a traveling Veteran, then we cover the shipping costs. All other shipping costs are included in set-up and delivery.