ATT002_NPA_QASP.docx
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- Attached to
- World Trade Center Health Program - National Program Administrator Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 75D30126R73374
About this file
This document is a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) for the World Trade Center Health Program's National Program Administrator (NPA) contract. The QASP outlines comprehensive performance standards and acceptable quality levels (AQLs) for the contractor across multiple service domains, including transition management, contract management, member services, care coordination, medical services scheduling, treatment eligibility, and managed care operations.
Key performance areas include call center metrics (time to answer, hold times, first call resolution), member outreach and communication, scheduling of health evaluations, benefits counseling, certification request quality, appointment scheduling, case management, and prior authorization processing. The surveillance methods include observation, periodic inspection, and contractor reporting, with most performance standards requiring 90-99% compliance across various service dimensions. The document is designed to proactively evaluate and ensure high-quality service delivery for World Trade Center Health Program members, with mechanisms for corrective action if performance standards are not met.
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World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) Publish Date: Month Day, Year Most Recent Revision Date: Month Day, Year
I. Introduction This performance-based Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) sets forth the procedures and guidance that the World Trade Center Health Program (”Program”) will use in evaluating the technical performance of the corresponding Performance Work Statement (PWS), contract no. [CONTRACT ID] (the “Contract”), in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract.
II. Objective The purpose of this QASP is to serve as a proactive tool for the Program to evaluate the quality of [AWARDED VENDOR]’s (the “Contractor”) performance during Sustainment and to help identify, avoid, and mitigate unacceptable or deficient contractor performance. This document provides a framework and methodology for the Program to evaluate the quality of the Contractor's performance, including the performance of any and all agents or subcontractors. The information provided in this QASP identifies minimum acceptable quality levels (AQLs) to be consistently maintained by [AWARDED VENDOR] throughout the period of performance after Start of Healthcare Delivery (SHCD). Not every PWS task has a corresponding performance standard in the QASP, and some performance standards in the QASP are associated with more than one PWS task.
This QASP describes the structure of the Program’s surveillance activities of contractor performance during the period of sustainment. Sustainment is defined as starting after Start of Healthcare Delivery and continuing through transition-out, until the start of healthcare delivery of the successor contract. The QASP details how and when the Program will monitor, evaluate, and document key tasks of contractor performance. Though the QASP highlights key performance indicators that will be monitored on a regular basis, the Program will also perform additional surveillance activities to ensure adherence to all PWS requirements, including for those that do not have a corresponding QASP metric.
The primary goals of this QASP are to:
· Bring structure and organization to the Program’s monitoring and surveillance of key tasks/services and deliverables under the above contract;
· Indicate key tasks and deliverables that will be regularly assessed against established performance standards;
· Establish AQLs;
· Describe the evaluation methods and processes that will be used by the Program during surveillance activities; and
· Guide the Program’s surveillance efforts to ensure acceptable performance by the Contractor.
This QASP will be used to assist in monitoring contractor activities and during inspection and acceptance of contract deliverables. The QASP is intended to be a “living” document and reviewed as performance warrants The Program may propose to change elements of the QASP throughout the lifetime of the contract. Any such proposed changes would be communicated by the Program to the Contractor and formalized through a contractual modification.
This QASP sets forth the minimum performance standards and AQLs for the Contractor, focusing on the assessment of whether the Contractor achieves desired outcomes relative to contract requirements. In contrast, the Contractor’s Quality Assurance Plan in the Contract Management Plan (CMP) and the Contractor’s Quality Assurance chapter of the Operations Manual describe how the Contractor will ensure quality of services at or above the AQLs.
If a QASP AQL or performance standard of the contract is not met, the Contractor is expected to propose, upon request from the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Contracting Officer, a corrective action plan (CAP) to improve performance to meet the relevant AQL. The CAP shall include the Contractor personnel responsible for implementing the CAP; a description of the activities and steps the Contractor is undertaking to improve performance to meet the relevant AQL; the timeline and milestones for CAP activities; the resources required for the CAP; and reporting cadence and format on CAP activities. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and Program will review the proposed CAP. Upon the Government’s approval of the CAP, the COR or Contracting Officer will provide written approval to the Contractor. Thereafter, the Contractor shall implement the CAP upon receipt of COR or Contracting Officer approval of the Contractor’s CAP. If and once the Contractor’s performance is improved under the CAP to meet the relevant AQL or performance standard of the contract, the Government may, at its discretion, consider the CAP complete and closed. The Government reserves the right to require another CAP should performance for a QASP metric subsequently fail again to meet the relevant AQL following the implementation and completion of an earlier CAP.
If a QASP AQL or performance standard of the contract is not met, the Contractor’s deficient performance will be documented in the Contractor’s Contractor Performance Assessment and Reporting System (CPARS) performance evaluation. Positive performance will also be similarly documented in its CPARS evaluation.
III. QASP Elements
a. Performance Standard The performance standard column describes the Program’s quality expectations of the Contractor in performing the tasks listed in the Performance Work Statement.
Though the Program recognizes that some tasks will be performed exclusively by the Contractor’s agents and subcontractors, all contractor performance will be evaluated holistically such that the Prime Contractor is responsible for all performance outcomes.
b. Acceptable Quality Levels (AQLs) [No deviation without COR approval] AQLs are the minimum performance threshold(s) that the Program will accept for each outlined performance standard. The Contractor shall meet AQLs and performance standards of the contract. Services that fail to meet the relevant AQL are nonconforming.
In accordance with paragraph (a) of the clause at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) section 52.246-5, Inspection of Services-Cost-Reimbursement, incorporated by reference in Section I of the Contract, the Government may require reperformance of nonconforming services at no additional fee to the contract. If reperformance will not correct the defects or is not possible, the Government may seek an equitable fee reduction or adequate consideration for acceptance of nonconforming services, in addition to any other rights and remedies available to the Government.
c. Surveillance Method The Program will oversee the Contractor’s adherence to AQLs through various methodologies including but not limited to; sampling, documenting, testing, and reporting reviews; formal evaluations, reviews, and assessments (FERAs); and general observation. The frequency of surveillance is at the Government’s discretion; frequency is determined based on the relative risks in potential contractor non-compliance. Periodic sampling may also be leveraged during ad hoc reviews, where a sample is taken when a problem/deficiency is suspected.
Primary methods of QASP surveillance include, but are not limited to, the following:
· Observation: Program assesses and observes contract performance in real time.
· Periodic Inspection: Program reviews data available to the Program and evaluates outcomes on a periodic basis.
· Contractor Reporting: Contractor provides data related to the performance standard, and the Program reviews the Contractor’s reporting to determine if the AQL is met.
The performance standards, acceptable quality levels, and methods of surveillance outlined in the tables below will support the Program in its assessment of contractor performance during the Sustainment phase starting after Start of Healthcare Delivery (SHCD) and continuing through transition-out, until the start of healthcare delivery of the successor contract.
Table of Contents
| 1. TRANSITION-IN | 5 |
| Adherence to Transition-In Master Schedule (TIMS) | 5 |
| System Access Pre-SHCD | 5 |
| 2. CONTRACT MANAGEMENT | 5 |
| Timely Submission of Change Requests | 5 |
| Ad Hoc Reporting | 5 |
| 3. INFRASTRUCTURE, RESOURCES, AND FUNCTIONALITIES | 5 |
| Call Center: Time to Answer | 6 |
| Call Center: Hold Time | 6 |
| Call Center: First Call Resolution | 6 |
| Mail Center: Returned Mail | 6 |
| Non-Telephonic Contact: Written Inquiry | 6 |
| Non-Telephonic Contact: Live Chat | 6 |
| Availability of Member Service Center | 6 |
| Data Integrity and Validation | 6 |
| 4. GENERAL MEMBER SERVICES AND CARE COORDINATION | 6 |
| Issue Resolution | 7 |
| Initiation of Services | 7 |
| Maintenance of Member Contact Information | 7 |
| Transfer Processing | 7 |
| Program Access to NPA Contractor-Maintained Records | 7 |
| Benefits Counseling Assessment and Screening | 7 |
| 5. MONITORING, DIAGNOSTIC, AND SCREENING SERVICES | 7 |
| Scheduling Initial Health Evaluations (IHE) and Initial Monitoring Exams (IME) | 8 |
| Scheduling Annual Monitoring Exams (AME) | 8 |
| Cancer Screening | 8 |
| 6. TREATMENT ELIGIBILITY AND TREATMENT SERVICES | 8 |
| Quality of Certification Requests | 8 |
| Collection of Other Health Insurance (OHI) Information | 8 |
| Appointment Scheduling | 8 |
| Non-Emergency Transport: Documentation Submission | 9 |
| Timely Provider Block Resolution | 9 |
| 7. MANAGED CARE OPERATIONS | 9 |
| Intensive Case Management (ICM) Outreach | 9 |
| ICM: Care Plan Documentation | 9 |
| Prior Authorization Turnaround Time | 9 |
1. TRANSITION-IN
PWS Reference(s): Section 4.1
| QASP Ref. |
| Topic |
| PWS Ref. |
| Performance Standard |
| AQL |
| Surveillance Method |
| 1.1 |
| Adherence to Transition-In Master Schedule (TIMS) |
| 4.1 |
| NPA Contractor tasks are completed on the timeline agreed-upon within the approved TIMS. |
| 90% of tasks completed on schedule. |
| Observation |
| 1.2 |
| System Access Pre-SHCD |
| 4.1.4.3 |
| Staff identified as requiring access to Program and/or other Program contractor systems to complete their job duties are in possession of that access prior to SHCD. |
| 95% of NPA Contractor staff have confirmed access, no later than 15 calendar days prior to the SHCD. |
| Contractor Reporting (via TPR) |
2. CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
PWS Reference(s): Section 4.2
| QASP Ref. |
| Topic |
| PWS Ref. |
| Performance Standard |
| AQL |
| Surveillance Method |
| 2.2 |
| Ad Hoc Reporting |
| 4.2.2.6 |
| NPA Contractor delivery of ad hoc reporting is completed on the agreed-upon timeline (i.e., no schedule slippage). |
| 95% of ad hoc reporting is delivered on the agreed-upon timeline. |
| Observation |
3. INFRASTRUCTURE, RESOURCES, AND FUNCTIONALITIES
PWS Reference(s): Section 4.3
| QASP Ref. |
| Topic |
| PWS Ref. |
| Performance Standard |
| AQL |
| Surveillance Method |
| 3.1 |
| Call Center: Time to Answer |
| 4.3.1.1 |
| Inbound calls are answered timely. |
| 1. Average Speed of Answer[footnoteRef:2] within 30 seconds and [2: The Speed of Answer is defined as the elapsed time between the caller completing any automated IVR prompts and call answered by call center representative. ] |
2. 80% of calls answered within 30 seconds.
Contractor Reporting (via MPR)
| 3.2 |
| Call Center: Hold Time |
| 4.3.1.1 |
| Once answered, inbound call is handled with minimal hold time. |
| 95% of each Hold Time[footnoteRef:3] instance is no longer than 120 seconds. [3: The Hold Time is defined as the elapsed time between each instance when the caller is put on hold and when the NPA Contractor agent returns to the call. ] |
Contractor Reporting (via MPR)
| 3.3 |
| Call Center: First Call Resolution |
| 4.3.1.1 |
| Call Center addresses caller needs the first time they call. |
| 70% of calls are resolved without follow-up inquiries from the caller within seven calendar days.[footnoteRef:4] [4: A follow-up inquiry is defined as an incoming call from the same individual (identified via Automatic Number Identification) with the same wrap-up code. ] |
Contractor Reporting (via MPR)
| 3.4 |
| Mail Center: Returned Mail |
| 4.3.1.2 |
| Upon receipt of returned mail, the NPA Contractor shall implement a solution to prevent further mailings until such time a corrected address is identified. |
| Fewer than 1% of returned mail is resent to the same incorrect address within a given quarter. |
| Contractor Reporting |
(via MPR)
| 3.5 |
| Non-Telephonic Contact: Written Inquiry |
| 4.3.1.3 |
| Written inquiries (i.e., letter, email) coming from members and providers are responded to timely. |
| 95% written inquiries are responded to within 10 calendar days. |
95% of written inquiries are resolved within 30 calendar days.
Contractor Reporting (via MPR)
| 3.6 |
| Non-Telephonic Contact: Live Chat |
| 4.3.1.3 |
| Live chats, if implemented, are responded to timely. |
| 1. Average Chat Response Time within 60 seconds and |
2. Fewer than 20% chat requests abandoned without response Contractor Reporting (via MPR)
| 3.7 |
| Availability of Member Service Center |
| 4.3.1.4 |
| NPA Contractor systems meet operational, security, availability, and accessibility requirements to allow for service delivery through the Member Service Center. |
| 99.5% availability rate between 8:00am and 7:00pm Eastern time Monday through Friday excluding federal holidays (contract support hours). |
| Contractor Reporting |
(via MPR)
| 3.8 |
| Data Integrity and Validation |
| 4.3.2.3 |
| Prospective and retrospective validation methodologies efficiently identify and correct data anomalies that do not reflect Program business rules and policies. |
| 90% of data anomalies identified are corrected within 30 calendar days of identification, unless otherwise specified by the Program. |
| Contractor Reporting |
(via MPR)
| 3.9 |
| Program Access to NPA Contractor-Maintained Records |
| 4.3.3.4 |
| The NPA Contractor shall extract specific data sets and documentation as requested by Program. |
95% of Program requests for records are fulfilled within 7 calendar days And 99.8% of Program requests are fulfilled within 30 calendar days.
Periodic Inspection (monthly) Contractor Reporting
4. GENERAL MEMBER SERVICES AND CARE COORDINATION
PWS Reference(s): Section 4.4.1, Section 4.4.2
| QASP Ref. |
| Topic |
| PWS Ref. |
| Performance Standard |
| AQL |
| Surveillance Method |
| 4.1 |
| Issue Resolution |
| 4.4.1 |
| NPA Contractor addresses member-related inquiries and issues identified by the Program and other Program contractors (e.g., via CARE message) in a timely manner. |
| 1. 95% of Program and other Program contractor inquiries are acknowledged within one business day of receipt and |
2. 90% of Program and other Program contractor inquiries have a substantive response[footnoteRef:5] within two business days of receipt. [5: A substantive response is a response that directly addresses the issue raised by the inquiry, providing relevant information and the most comprehensive response possible at the time.]
Observation Periodic Inspection (monthly)
| 4.2 |
| Initiation of Services |
| 4.4.1.1 |
| After notification that a new member has been assigned to the NPA Contractor (newly enrolled or transferring from a Clinical Center of Excellence), the NPA Contractor performs timely outreach. |
| 1. 95% of new members have received outreach within three business days of NPA Contractor being notified of new NPA member and |
2. 95% of members transferring into the NPA have received outreach within three business days of transfer acceptance.
Contractor Reporting (via MPR)
| 4.3 |
| Maintenance of Member Contact Information |
| 4.4.1.1 |
| Member contact information is up to date, defined as having been verified within the last 12 months. |
| 80% of members assigned to the CCE have contact information verified within the last 12 months.1 |
| Contractor Reporting |
(via MPR)
| 4.4 |
| Transfer Processing |
| 4.4.1.2 |
| Transfer requests (incoming and outgoing) are processed in accordance with the timelines listed in the Transfer Handbook. |
| 95% of transfer requests are processed in accordance with the timelines listed in the Transfer Handbook. |
| Periodic Inspection |
(monthly)
| 4.5 |
| Member Access to NPA Contractor-Maintained Records |
| 4.4.1.4 |
The NPA Contractor shall allow members and their authorized representatives to access available medical records maintained by the NPA Contractor
98% of member requests for records are fulfilled within 30 days.
Periodic Inspection (monthly)
| 4.6 |
| Benefits Counseling Assessment and Screening |
| 4.4.2.2.1 |
| NPA Contractor offers benefits eligibility assessments with each monitoring exam (IHE, IME, or AME) or at least once annually. |
| No less than 5% of active members are offered a benefits eligibility assessment each month |
and 90% of active members are offered a benefits eligibility assessment.
Contractor Reporting
5. MONITORING, DIAGNOSTIC, AND SCREENING SERVICES
PWS Reference(s): Section 4.4.3
| QASP Ref. |
| Topic |
| PWS Ref. |
| Performance Standard |
| AQL |
| Surveillance Method |
| 5.1 |
| Scheduling Initial Health Evaluations (IHE) and Initial Monitoring Exams (IME) |
| 4.4.3.1.3 |
| New members are contacted to schedule the IHE/IME: |
a. 1+ times within the first four weeks of assignment to the NPA and
b. 3+ times within the first three months of assignment to the NPA.
| 90% of new members are successfully scheduled (or have documented required contact attempts) to schedule the IHE/IME within the first three months of assignment to the NPA. |
| Contractor Reporting |
(via MPR)
| 5.2 |
| Scheduling Annual Monitoring Exams (AME) |
| 4.4.3.1.3 |
| Members eligible for the AME are contacted to schedule the AME at least once every 18 months. |
| 90% of exam-eligible members have been scheduled to receive a monitoring exam in the previous 18 months |
and 80% of exam-eligible members have completed a Medical Health Questionnaire (MHQ) in the previous 18 months and 65% of exam-eligible members have successfully completed an AME in the previous 18 months
Contractor Reporting
6. TREATMENT ELIGIBILITY AND TREATMENT SERVICES
PWS Reference(s): Section 4.4.4, Section 4.4.5, Section 4.4.7
| QASP Ref. |
| Topic |
| PWS Ref. |
| Performance Standard |
| AQL |
| Surveillance Method |
| 6.1 |
| Quality of Certification Requests |
| 4.4.4.3 |
| Certification requests are submitted in accordance with Program certification criteria, including: |
· Usage of Program’s current WTC-3 form
· Positive attestation of disease-exposure linkage, with signature and date within 60 days of submission to the Program
| Fewer than 5% of certification requests submitted by the NPA Contractor are determined to be unable to process or have insufficient information to render a decision (“Redo” decision). |
| Periodic Inspection |
(monthly)
| 6.2 |
| Collection of Other Health Insurance (OHI) Information |
| 4.4.5.1 |
4.4.7.2
| The NPA Contractor collects and maintains complete, accurate, and current medical and pharmacy Other Health Insurance (OHI) information to facilitate coordination of benefits, where required. |
| 75% of Survivors who have had a treatment-related claim (medical or pharmacy) submitted with a date of service (DOS) within the previous 18 months have primary insurance information on file. |
| Periodic Inspection |
(semi-annually)
| 6.3 |
| Appointment Scheduling |
| 4.4.5.1 |
| Services subject to coordination of benefits (i.e., Survivor treatment services) are scheduled with providers who are in-network with both the member’s primary insurer and the WTC Health Program Provider Network (EPN and/or NPN). |
| 1. 75 of appointments are scheduled with providers who are in both the member’s primary insurer network and the WTC Health Program Provider Network and |
2. 100% of appointments are scheduled with providers who are in the WTC Health Program Provider Network[footnoteRef:6]. [6: Determination of whether a provider is in the WTC Health Program Provider Network is based on whether the provider is visible as an active provider in the WTC Health Program Provider Network Directory, as provided by the TPA Contractor. ]
Periodic Inspection (monthly) Contractor Reporting (via MPR)
| 6.4 |
| Non-Emergency Transport: Documentation Submission |
| 4.4.5.3 |
| Non-emergency transport documentation submitted by the NPA Contractor meet requirements in TGD #025. |
| 95% of non-emergency transport documentation submitted by the NPA Contractor does not require resubmission due to errors. |
| Periodic Inspection |
(semi-annually)
| 6.5 |
| Timely Provider Block Resolution |
| 4.4.7.4 |
| Pharmacy claims that are blocked at point-of-sale because the “Prescriber is Not Covered” (Reject 71 code) are resolved timely. |
| 1. 80% of claims blocked due to the Reject 71 code are resolved within one business day and |
2. 98% of claims blocked due to the Reject 71 code are resolved within two business days.
Periodic Inspection (monthly)
7. MANAGED CARE OPERATIONS
PWS Reference(s): Section 4.4.6
| QASP Ref. |
| Topic |
| PWS Ref. |
| Performance Standard |
| AQL |
| Surveillance Method |
| 7.1 |
| Intensive Case Management (ICM) Outreach |
| 4.4.6.1 |
| Case Managers maintain regular outreach with ICM members, in accordance with the Program’s ICM guidelines. |
| 1. 95% of Case Manager outreach attempts occur within standard outreach timeline and |
2. 99% of Case Manager outreach attempts occur within maximum outreach timeline.[footnoteRef:7] [7: As of October 2025, standard outreach timelines are 1-2 weeks and maximum outreach timelines are 1-2 months. Refer to the Program’s Case Management acuity requirements for current timelines. ]
Contractor Reporting (via MPR)
| 7.2 |
| ICM: Care Plan Documentation |
| 4.4.6.1 |
| Members in ICM have an up-to-date, documented plan of care. |
| 99% of members in ICM* have a documented care plan that has been updated within the previous 60 calendar days. |
*Exclude members who have not had contact with the NPA Contractor within previous 60 days Contractor Reporting (via MPR)
| 7.3 |
| Prior Authorization Turnaround Time |
| 4.4.6.2 |
| NPA Contractor staff review prior authorization requests submitted for their review in a timely manner. |
| 98% of prior authorization requests are reviewed and approved or denied by the NPA Contractor within seven calendar days of receipt. |
*Exclude time spent pending Program review or input, where applicable.
Periodic Inspection
8. TRANSITION-OUT
PWS Reference(s): Section 4.5
| QASP Ref. |
| Topic |
| PWS Ref. |
| Performance Standard |
| AQL |
| Surveillance Method |
| 8.1 |
| Adherence to Transition-Out Master Schedule (TOMS) |
| 4.5 |
| NPA Contractor tasks are completed on the timeline agreed-upon within the approved TOMS. |
| 95% of tasks completed on schedule. |
| Contractor Reporting |
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