36C25624Q0103_Sources Sought Notice_20Oct23.docx

Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice

GENERAL INFORMATION

Veterans Health Administration Network Contracting Office 16 2575 Keystone Crossing Fayetteville AR 72703

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Linda Gates linda.gates@va.goc 475-444-5011 Ext 69622

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Purchasing & Contracting (90C)

1100 N. College Ave

Fayetteville AR

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

DESCRIPTION

***THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT INQUIRY ONLY***

The Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 16 is seeking potential sources capable of providing Certified Tumor Registrar Abstractor Services for the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks located in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The attached Performance Work Statement (PWS) provides details of the services to be provided. If your organization can meet the requirements of the PWS, you may indicate your interest in providing these services by providing the following information:

Please email the above information to linda.gates@va.gov along with any questions to be addressed. Answers will not be posted.

DISCLAIMER: This is a Sources Sought announcement only, which may or may not lead to a future solicitation. This announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes.

All information received in response to this announcement that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this announcement.

Interested parties may identify their interest solely via email to Contract Specialist, Linda Gates, linda.gates@va.gov no later than Friday, October 27, 2023, at 11:00 AM Central Standard Time (CST). When responding to this announcement, respondents should include the Solicitation Number 36C25624Q0103 in the email subject line.

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

Certified Tumor Registrar Abstractor 19 October 2023

1. Purpose: To establish a contract for providing Cancer Registry Services for the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks.

2. Scope: The contractor shall provide all necessary staffing and resources to properly maintain the Veteran’s Health Care System of the Ozarks’ (VHSO) Cancer Registry database in accordance with 100% of the current American College of Surgeons (ACOS) Commission on Cancer Registry program and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Cancer Registry requirements.

2.1. The Contractor shall have current experience managing an accredited Cancer Registry program within the last twelve months. The Contractor shall provide documentation of experience working with CoC accredited facilities.

2.2. Case finding. 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.

2.2.1. The Contractor shall be responsible for monthly review of disease indices, pathology reports, radiology reports, treatment logs, and other computerized methods to identify reportable cancer cases.

2.2.2. The Contractor shall be responsible for transcribing and interpreting 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).

2.2.3. The Contractor shall review and abstract the cancer patient’s medical record on an ongoing basis in compliance with the industry standards of the 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 the VAFAV Cancer Registry.

2.2.4. The contractor shall be a VA experienced Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) and produce proof of current credential status to provide abstracting services. The Contractor shall abstract cases within 4 to 6 months of first contact.

2.3. Rejects. The contractor shall reject cases that do not meet reportable criteria to be entered into the registry database. Any rejected patient cases shall be documented on an itemized invoice.

2.4. Case Abstracting and Coding. Abstracting is defined as coding and entering patient and disease specific information into the Veterans Administration VistA Cancer Registry database. The Contractor shall utilize approved codes as indicated, i.e., ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM, etc. as appropriate.

2.4.1. The Contractor shall abstract oncology cases with 100% accuracy and shall ensure that all Commission on Cancer requirements/standards are met.

2.4.2. The Contractor shall ensure that all cases are cleared (within pre-established timeframes) 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.

2.5. 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.

2.5.1. The Contractor shall be responsible for tracking the care all patients receive in the years following their cancer diagnosis at the VHSO Medical Center, and at other health care institutions.

2.5.2. 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.

2.5.3. 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.

2.5.4. The Contractor shall include outcome data when applicable.

2.5.5. The Contractor shall maintain follow-up at a minimum of 90% on all patients in the registry data base, this is required to use registry data for survival (outcome) analysis, which is industry standard. Cases are delinquent (lost) if the follow-up interval exceeds 15 months.

2.5.6. The Contractor shall provide a list of patient’s completed follow-up along with the Contractor’s monthly invoice.

2.6. Consult Hours. The Contractor shall provide Consult Hours that shall include time spent working with the Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service, Cancer Program Manager, Cancer Liaison Physician and the Nurse Navigator. Consult hours shall also include ensuring that all current ACOS and related Cancer Registry standards pertaining to the VHSO Cancer Registry are met, that all data entered into the Cancer Registry is 100% accurate and that all pre-established timeframes related to the Cancer Registry are met. Consult hours shall also 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 related staff with Commission on Cancer survey readiness and preparation. Consult hours shall also include preparation of data for transmission to the Central VA Office and any other entity as required by the VA or American College of Surgeons.

2.6.1. The contractor shall provide consultative services both by telephone and on site as required to assist in the Commission on Cancer approval process.

2.7. National Cancer Database (NCDB). The Contractor shall conform to all ACOS Commission on Cancer requirements relating to the National Cancer Database (NCDB), including timely accurate submissions; timely accurate resubmissions; correcting edits; and monitoring CoC flash newsletters to ensure compliance with all Cancer Registry and related deadlines, etc. Cancer Registry data submitted by the Contractor to the NCDB shall meet the established quality criteria 100% of the time, as outlined in the NCDB Call for Data. Annually, cases submitted by the Contractor to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) that were diagnosed on January 1, 2003, or later meet the established quality criteria and resubmission deadlines as specified in the annual Call for Data.

2.8. Staging Alerts. At the time of case finding the Contractor shall send an email to the attending Oncology physician confirming the completion of the staging form required by the American Joint Commission on Cancer.

2.9. Rapid Quality Reporting System. The Contractor shall monitor the quality of the Cancer Registry data.

2.9.1. 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).

2.9.2. The Contractor shall keep the COR, Cancer Program Manager, Cancer Liaison Physician, Nurse Navigator and Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service advised of the performance status as requested by the above-mentioned staff and no less than once monthly. (RQRS is a real-time data collection program to assess hospital-level performance using National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed quality of cancer measures).

2.10. Monthly Reports. The Contractor shall provide quality work, complete work, and accuracy as evidenced by meeting Commission on Cancer, National Cancer Data Base, National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA), and VA Central Cancer Registry standards and requirements. The Contractor shall perform a 100% quality assurance review on all newly abstracted cases for compliance noting any deficiencies or non-deficiencies. The Contractor shall forward a list to the COR via e-mail monthly noting any deficiencies or non-deficiencies.

2.10.1. The Contractor shall send report findings back to the facility’s COR and Chairman, Committee on Cancer monthly and/or upon request. The Contractor shall ensure abstracts are 100% edit (error) free prior to invoicing.

2.10.2. The Contractor shall provide documentation of the process for error corrections for all tasks performed by the Contractor’s staff and all tasks as required by the American College of Surgeons-Commission on Cancer for full accreditation; all errors identified either by the Contractor or by the facility’s COR, or any designated representative of VHSO within 24-48 hours.

2.10.3. The Contractor shall monitor each area of Cancer Registry activity and shall ensure all duties performed e.g., case finding, accessioning, follow up, edit corrections, data submissions, abstracting, etc. (i.e., all Cancer Registry tasks required by the American College of Surgeons- Commission on Cancer) are performed by a Certified Tumor Registrar.

2.11. Outcome Studies / Special Studies. The Contractor shall provide Cancer Registry data for outcome studies/special studies and assisting with preparation of the reports.

2.11.1. 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 and survival. The contractor shall also provide patient care evaluation studies for the annual cancer program report.

2.12. 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, PCR or VACCR or records rejected because they lack supporting English text and/or have missing data elements.

2.12.1. 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.

2.13. Other. The Contractor shall ensure all American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Registry standards, requirements and initiatives are implemented and met; this includes ensuring all Rapid Case Reporting System (RCRS) 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, shall resolve the issue within one 24-48 hours and shall re-close the case and send the documentation to the COR or designee (this documentation may be reviewed by the ACOS Surveyor during the accreditation process, as needed). The Contractor may be asked to speak directly to an ACOS Cancer Program Surveyor; if requested.

2.13.1. In the event that the facility decides to become CoC accredited, the Contractor shall be responsible for preparing Cancer Registry reports for the Cancer Committee which meets 4-6 times a year. The Contractor shall prepare reports on TNM staging, timeliness of abstracting, follow-up, and quality improvement of the Cancer Registry services.

2.13.2. The Contractor shall bear all the costs of reports prepared for Cancer Committee meetings.

2.13.3. ACS/Commission on Cancer Approval. The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating the Cancer Registry portion of the Commission on Cancer/American College of Surgeons surveys in collaboration with the facility COR and Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service; for assisting with preparation of the survey; and updating the Survey Application Record in collaboration with the assigned VHSO representative, as needed.

2.13.4. The Contractor shall ensure that VHSO meets the standards of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Registry standards. The Contractor and the Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service share responsibility for the survey by the ACS. The Contractor shall also provide phone consultation about Cancer Registry issues to VHSO upon request during normal working hours, Mondays through Fridays, 8:00am -4:30pm. Central Standard Time.

2.13.5. 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; shall request/maintain the required software for the transmissions; shall submit complete and accurate reports, and make corrections, as required.

2.13.5.1. The Contractor shall demonstrate knowledge of the VACCR and NCDB reporting requirements.

2.13.6.1. Contractor shall provide on-site service for ACOS/CoC inspection if the facility decides to pursue ACOS/CoC accreditation.

3. Requirements.

3.1. Education/CTR Certification. The Contractor shall show proof that those providing abstracting services are Certified Tumor Registrars through the National Cancer Registrars Association. Contractor personnel functioning under this contract shall be certified by the National Cancer Registrars Association.

3.1.1. 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. Ongoing cancer-related education enhances knowledge and skills. 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. High-quality Cancer Registry data are essential to accurately access treatment outcomes and patient survival. Successful operation of the Cancer Registry requires credentialed staff that is trained and knowledgeable in all aspects of oncology data collection and case abstracting. Abstracting is defined as coding and entering patient- and disease specific information into the Cancer Registry data base. Certified Tumor Registrars apply knowledge obtained from formal education and work experience to correctly interpret and code cancer diagnosis, stage, treatment, and outcomes information for each case that is seen at VHSO. The case abstracting responsibilities of the CTR are documented by the Contractor.

3.2. Continuing Education/Competency. The Contractor shall maintain competency/training folders and make them available as requested. The Contractor and Contractor staff shall have a working knowledge of VA abstracting software programs and computer hardware.

3.3. VA-Specific/Privacy Training. The Contractor shall complete the VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior (VA10176) training and Privacy and HIPAA Focused training (VA10203) in the Talent Management System (TMS) annually, as well as, any other mandated training, at their own cost before access is given, at no cost to the government.

3.4. Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) in VistA - VA will provide contractor with electronic access to CPRS for use by the Certified Tumor Registrars. Contractor employees are responsible to access the system a minimum of once every ninety (90) days. Failure to access VA system at least once every ninety (90) days will result in the contractor’s employees being locked out of the VA system. If necessary, VA will provide Contractor with remote access to the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) in VistA. It is expected that electronic access will be done monthly. Contractor’s abstracting personnel may perform the abstracting functions from remote locations by computer and shall comply with the VA standard of case completion of four (4) to six (6) months after date of diagnosis. A list of cases completed shall be provided to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) along with monthly invoices. Abstracting shall encompass the full and complete data set (required, optional and supplemental fields) to present a complete patient summary in the VistA Oncotrax package. Text field shall be utilized to document finds on Physical Exam, Scans, Scopes, Labs, Diagnostic OPS and Pathology. Collaborative Stage and AJCC TNM staging shall be performed on all cases meeting the criteria as established by SEER and the American Joint commission on Cancer, latest Manual for the Staging of Cancer, in conjunction with accepted principles. All required abstract fields must be completed with 100% accuracy.

3.5. Contractors Responsibilities. The Contractor shall be responsible for completing and providing all Background Investigation documentation, Information Security, Rules of Behavior, Privacy Training, and completing a VPN request for computer access as it pertains to the to all designated VA personnel.

3.6. Information System Security – The Contractor shall ensure adequate LAN/Internet, data, information, and system security in accordance with VA standard operating procedures and standard contract language, conditions, laws and regulations.

3.6.1. Due to the threat of data breach, compromise or loss of information that resides on either VA-owned or contractor-owned systems, and to comply with Federal laws and regulations, VA has developed an Information and Information Technology Security clause to be used when VA sensitive information is accessed, used, stored, generated, transmitted, or exchanged by and between VA and a contractor, subcontractor or a third party in any format (e.g., paper, microfiche, electronic or magnetic portable media). b. In solicitations and contracts where VA Sensitive Information or Information Technology will be accessed or utilized, the CO shall insert the clause found at 852.273-75, Security Requirements for Unclassified Information Technology Resources.

3.6.2. As prescribed in 839.201, insert the following clause: The contractor, their personnel, and their subcontractors shall be subject to the Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks regarding information and information system security as delineated in this contract.

3.6.3. The Contractor’s firewall and web server shall meet or exceed the government minimum requirements for security. All government data shall be protected behind an approved firewall. Any security violations or attempted violations shall be reported to the COR and the VHSO Information Security Officer as soon as possible.

3.6.4. The Contractor shall follow all applicable VA policies and procedures governing information security, especially those that pertain to certification accreditation.

3.6.5. The Contractor will be under the direction of the Chairman, Committee of Cancer and Cancer Registry Coordinator.

4. Period of Performance.

Base Year (04 December 2023 – 03 December 2024)

Option Year 1 (04 December 2024 – 03 December 2025)

Option Year 2 (04 December 2025 – 03 December 2026)

Option Year 3 (04 December 2026 – 03 December 2027)

Option Year 4 (04 December 2027 – 03 December 2028)

5. Federal Holidays: The Contractor is not required to perform services on the following Federal holidays:

In addition to the days designated as holidays, the Government observes the following days: Any other day designated by Federal Statute. Any other day designated by Executive Order. Any other day designated by the President’s Proclamation.

6. INFORMATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYSECURITY REQUIREMENTS

Contract clause for Information and Information Technology Security:

a. Due to the threat of data breach, compromise or loss of information that resides on either VA-owned or contractor-owned systems, and to comply with Federal laws and regulations, VA has developed an Information and Information Technology Security clause to be used when VA sensitive information is accessed, used, stored, generated, transmitted, or exchanged by and between VA and a contractor, subcontractor or a third party in any format (e.g., paper, microfiche, electronic or magnetic portable media).

b. In solicitations and contracts where VA Sensitive Information or Information Technology will be accessed or utilized, the CO shall insert the clause found at 852.273-75, Security Requirements for Unclassified Information Technology Resources.

7. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYRESOURCES(INTERIM- OCTOBER 2008)

As prescribed in 839.201, insert the following clause: The contractor, their personnel, and their subcontractors shall be subject to the Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks regarding information and information system security as delineated in this contract.

Sources Sought Notice