SOW_infection_control_consultant.docx

Quality, Safety, and Oversight Group Infection Prevention and Control Consultant Statement of Work (SOW) April 20, 2018

I. Background Under sections 1819(a-d, f) and 1861(e) of the Social Security Act (the Act), the Secretary has the responsibility to assure that Medicare requirements are met and their enforcement are adequate to protect the health and safety of all individuals in nursing homes and hospitals. Section 1864 of the Act grants State Agencies (SAs) the authority to perform surveys of nursing homes and hospitals to determine initial and ongoing compliance.

A growing number of individuals are receiving care in long-term care settings, such as skilled nursing facilities. The population in these facilities is requiring more complex medical care as a result of rapid transitions between health care settings. These trends can create an increased risk for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which can worsen health status, increase health care costs, and is a top priority for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). CMS has initiated (in partnership with stakeholders) targeted efforts to address specific quality of care issues including transitions of care, antimicrobial stewardship, and HAIs and their prevention. Furthermore, facilities reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid as well as SAs need expertise and training in infection prevention and control.

II. Purpose CMS seeks consultative services of a full-time equivalent (1,875 hours) individual who has significant expertise in infection prevention and control and will provide clinical strategies and approaches that improve the care and services provided to nursing home residents, and patients in other Quality, Safety, and Oversight Group settings such as hospitals, ambulatory care centers, dialysis facilities, home health, and hospice. In addition, this individual will provide infection prevention and control recommendations on policies to include but is not limited to the prevention of HAIs and spread of infections during transitions of care, optimal use of antimicrobials, and multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs).

III. Tasks Independently, and not as an agent of the Government, the contractor shall furnish all of the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government, as needed to perform the requirements of this Statement of Work (SOW). For the tasks listed below, where there is reference to a number of days, this will mean business days. Task requests (Task 1.1 – Task 3.1) may involve any of the Quality, Safety, and Oversight Group (QSOG) provider types; therefore, the contractor shall work with any QSOG staff as directed by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

Task 1: Meeting and Reporting Requirements The contractor shall be responsible to obtain a complete understanding of the requirements of the project, schedule routine status meetings via conference calls with the COR, and will document these meetings.

1.1 Monthly Status Meetings

The contractor shall schedule monthly status meetings via conference calls with the COR to discuss project work planning and task status. The contractor shall create meeting agendas and send them to the COR two days prior to each meeting. The contractor shall also be responsible for the meeting minutes and will send the minutes to the COR five days after the call. The length of meetings may vary due to the amount of discussion items, but 30 minutes is assumed.

Deliverables:

Status Meeting Agendas and Materials – due to COR 2 days prior to each meeting.

Status Meeting Minutes – due to COR 5 days after each call.

1.2 Progress Reporting

The contractor shall submit monthly progress reports on all project activities, analyses, milestones met, and deliverables achieved. These reports will be used by the COR for the purpose of tracking deliverables and reconciling monthly invoices. These reports will be in a format approved by the COR and will include a summary of the activities for the prior month, work planned for the next period, issues, and suggested topics for analyses.

Deliverables:

Monthly Progress Reports - due to COR within 7 days of the end of the month of performance.

1.3 Work Plan

The contractor shall maintain a work plan. The work plan shall include the work schedule and a breakdown of the activities within each task. The draft work plan shall be submitted five days prior to the Kick-Off Meeting. The work plan will be updated monthly or as needed. Activities assigned by COR will become a part of the work plan.

Deliverables:

Draft Work Plan – due 5 days prior to Kick Off Meeting.

Kick-Off Meeting- within 10 days of contract award.

Updated Work Plan – updated monthly or as needed.

1.4. Final Report

The draft report shall include, at a minimum, a summary of the work and accomplishments realized during the contract year, emphasizing conclusions and recommendations. Include for each subject a detailed analysis of the work performed. Also include any charts, tables or diagrams relevant to the subject, and present negative findings as well as positive findings. Identify any innovations and general advances of special interest. Also include a list of deliverables, challenges and barriers to producing deliverables, challenges to implementing new solutions and guidance, and suggestions for future guidance and policy activities.

CMS may provide feedback on the report. The final report shall address the COR’s comments and shall be submitted to the COR 5 days prior to the end of the contract.

Deliverables:

Draft Final Report – due 10 days prior to the end of the contract.

Final Report – due 5 days prior to the end of the contract.

Task 2: Infection Prevention and Control Support

2.1 Technical Assistance with Certification Surveys, Survey Guidance, and Policy Memos The contractor shall serve as the subject matter expert to assist with drafting surveys, infection control worksheets, interpretive guidance for surveyors, and policy memos that address infection prevention and control across all QSOG provider types. The contractor will work with CMS, CMS’s contractors, and other HHS agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) while performing this task. The contractor will provide technical assistance with survey protocols, worksheets, and interpretive guidance that evaluate infection prevention and control practices and make recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the protocols for state survey agencies and CMS regional office surveyors.

The contractor, as directed by the COR, shall research and develop for future testing, standardized infection control survey protocols or worksheets that may be applied to all provider types. Submit a report on reviews and analyses of all infection control protocols and worksheets currently in use across the QSOG provider types; participate in field testing of survey protocols and worksheets (to include in-person testing as directed by the COR); and provide recommendations on standardizing those items that apply to all provider types.

The contractor will draft and/or revise policy memos related to infection prevention and control and participate in revising data tools such as the Minimum Data Set (MDS).

Deliverables:

Submit interpretive guidance recommendations and revisions, survey improvement recommendations to include reviews and analyses of all infection prevention and control program requirements, survey protocols, survey forms, and/or infection control worksheet revisions as directed by the COR.

Submit standardized infection control survey protocols, survey forms, and worksheets that may be applied to all provider types as directed by the COR.

Submit policy memos as directed by the COR.

Submit MDS revisions as directed by the COR.

2.2 Infection Prevention and Control Policy Questions

The contractor will be contacted by any QSOG staff as necessary to discuss infection control matters that arise from internal and external stakeholders and to provide technical guidance; this may include but is not limited to questions from facilities submitted by email or telephone, as well as questions from CMS regional and central office staff, state survey agencies, Congress, other governmental agencies, provider groups, attorneys, lobbyists, and the public. The contractor shall serve as the subject matter expert to assist with responding to inquiries that address infection prevention and control across all QSOG provider types.

Deliverables:

Infection control policy responses to inquiries as directed by COR.

As part of the monthly progress report (see Task 1.2), submit a summary of written responses issued to internal and external stakeholders on infection control inquiries.

2.3 Infection Control Training

The contractor will provide training support and recommendations on clinical topics such as infection prevention and control, antibiotic stewardship, quality improvement, or facility environmental cleaning and construction as they relate to infection prevention and control. Trainings may span all provider types that fall under QSOG’s purview. The contractor shall, as directed by the COR, create training materials to improve surveyor assessment of infection prevention and control practices within facilities. The draft and final training material shall be submitted as directed by the COR. As directed by the COR, the contractor may be directed to present infection control training materials. Furthermore, the contractor shall provide technical assistance to CMS and other HHS agencies working with CMS on a nursing home infection preventionist training curriculum.

Deliverables:

Produce training curricula and supporting materials as directed by the COR.

Present training materials as directed by the COR.

Provide written recommendations for improvements in survey training as directed by the COR.

Provide technical assistance to include written guidance to CMS and other HHS agencies working with CMS on a nursing home infection preventionist training curriculum as directed by the COR.

2.4 Survey Infection Control Pilot Reports and Worksheets

CMS QSOG, their contractor, and the CDC are dedicated to improving infection prevention in hospitals and nursing homes. CMS, their contractor, and CDC have developed hospital and nursing home surveyor infection control worksheets, survey materials, technical assistance, and data reports to better assess and improve compliance with infection control regulations. This effort also addressed the spread of infections between facilities (e.g., care transitions) in local communities. Based on this effort, the contractor will participate in data compilation, data analysis, and develop recommendation reports, along with revisions to and the development of, hospital and nursing home infection control worksheets as directed by the COR.

Deliverables:

Infection control pilot data compilation, analysis, and recommendation reports.

Develop/Revise surveyor infection control worksheets in collaboration with CMS, their contractor, and CDC as directed by the COR.

Develop surveyor training on the use of infection control worksheets as directed by COR.

Provide technical assistance (including written guidance) to CMS, CMS’s contractor, or to infection control pilot surveyed facilities as directed by the COR.

Task 3: Stakeholder Outreach, Engagement, and Presentations

3.1 Stakeholder Outreach

As directed by the COR, the contractor shall conduct outreach, communication and coordination with stakeholders which may include but is not limited to the CDC, American Medical Directors Association, Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instruments, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Federal Guidelines Institute, state health departments, Agency for Health Facility Survey Agencies, and coordinate work with other initiatives including the Health and Human Services Healthcare Acquired Infections Long Term Care Action Plan, the Nursing Home Quality of Care Collaborative, and Advancing Excellence. This may include attending or leading meetings (usually virtually- see Section IV for travel) and may take the form of formal presentations or other communication on topics related to infection prevention and control (e.g., Survey Executives Training Institute) as directed by the COR.

Deliverables:

In the monthly progress report (see Task 1.2), provide a summary of outreach and meetings attended.

Presentation materials will be provided at least 20 business days in advance of the presentation or sooner if needed by the COR.

IV. Meetings and Travel The contractor is required to be accessible to the COR by telephone and to participate (in person and via teleconferences) in meetings as directed by the COR. Travel costs (local and non-local) must be funded through this procurement. No additional funding will be requested by the contractor. For planning and estimating purposes, assume three trips within the United States. Travel includes but is not limited to meetings convened at CMS headquarters in Baltimore, MD, external stakeholder and partner meetings, policy revision training, and as directed by the COR.

V. Report Requirements There is a specific report requirement for this procurement. The contractor shall deliver comments, draft markups, and other written materials via email to the COR. The contractor shall provide documents using the Microsoft Office suite that is compatible to the version CMS is using. Additionally, the contractor shall use Adobe Acrobat DC. All documents are required to be section 508 compliant (see Section 508).

VI. Period of Performance The period of performance is 12 months.

VII. Government Property There is no government property provided. The contractor shall supply his/her own copy of Microsoft Office suite, Adobe Acrobat DC or other 508 compliance remediation software and have access to telephone, computer, and an email account.

VIII. Qualifications

The contractor must demonstrate the following experience/qualifications:

· Currently Certified in Infection Control (CIC) as issued by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology;

· Is a registered nurse with an advanced degree (master’s or above in a healthcare or public health field);

· Significant clinical infection prevention and control experience and knowledge in epidemiology;

· Clinical expertise in multiple healthcare settings and specialties (these must be listed in the resume/curriculum vitae). Preference is given to settings and services that fall under the Quality, Safety, and Oversight Group (QSOG);

· Knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid survey and certification regulations, interpretive guidance, surveyor processes, potential citation(s), and surveyor training courses;

· Analytical and writing skills;

· Presentation experience;

· Demonstrated ability to achieve delivery of comprehensive, written products within tight time frames;

· Ability to collect, interpret, manage, and report infection rate and antibiogram data;

· Collaboration experience with advocacy groups, provider and physician communities, and other key stakeholders; and

· Use of Microsoft Office Suite 2013, Internet Explorer, and Adobe Acrobat DC.

Examples of the clinical knowledge required would include: experience as a registered nurse with a specialty in infection control, national guidelines and standards of care, new infection control techniques and technology, outbreak investigations, and impact of medications and the environment on infections. All respondents to this effort must provide current licensure and credentials and are subject to a federal background investigation.

VIII. Timeliness The contractor shall turn in timely work according to the needs of the various tasks of this contract. This includes quick turn-around tasks (a day or two) during emergent infection control issues, guidance documents, regulatory language, or established project deadlines. Email requests from CMS shall be responded to in a timely fashion and the contractor shall be reachable by telephone when necessary.

IX. Section 508 Compliance

(a) This task order is subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) as amended by the workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220). Specifically, subsection 508(a)(1) requires that when the Federal Government procures Electronic and Information Technology (EIT), the EIT must allow Federal employees and individuals of the public with disabilities comparable access to and use of information and data that is provided to Federal employees and individuals of the public without disabilities.

(b) The EIT accessibility standards at 36 CFR Part 1194 were developed by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board ("Access Board") and apply to contracts and task/delivery orders, awarded under indefinite quantity contracts on or after June 25, 2001.

(c) Each Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) product or service furnished under this contract shall comply with the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (36 CFR 1194), as specified in the contract, as a minimum. If the Contracting Officer determines any furnished product or service is not in compliance with the contract, the Contracting Officer will promptly inform the Contractor in writing. The Contractor shall, without charge to the Government, repair or replace the non-compliant products or services within the period of time to be specified by the Government in writing. If such repair or replacement is not completed within the time specified, the Government shall have the following recourses:

1. Cancellation of the contract, delivery or task order, purchase or line item without termination liabilities; or

2. In the case of custom Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) being developed by a contractor for the Government, the Government shall have the right to have any necessary changes made or repairs performed by itself or by another firm for the noncompliant EIT, with the contractor liable for reimbursement to the Government for any expenses incurred thereby.

(d) The contractor must ensure that all EIT products that are less than fully compliant with the accessibility standards are provided pursuant to extensive market research and are the most current compliant products or services available to satisfy the contract requirements.

(e) For every EIT product or service accepted under this contact by the Government that does not comply with 36 CFR 1194, the contractor shall, at the discretion of the Government, make every effort to replace or upgrade it with a compliant equivalent product or service, if commercially available and cost neutral, on either a contract specified refresh cycle for the product or service, or on a contract effective option/renewal date; whichever shall occur first.

Section 508 Compliance for Communications The Contractor shall comply with the standards, policies, and procedures below. In the event of conflicts between the referenced documents and this SOW, the SOW shall take precedence.

Rehabilitation Act, Section 508 Accessibility Standards

1. 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

2. 36 CFR 1194 (508 Standards)

3. http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm (508 standards)

4. FAR 39.2 (Section 508)

5. CMS/HHS Standards, policies and procedures (Section 508) In addition, all contract deliverables are subject to these 508 standards as applicable.

Regardless of format, all Web content or communications materials produced, including text, audio or video - must conform to applicable Section 508 standards to allow federal employees and members of the public with disabilities to access information that is comparable to information provided to persons without disabilities. All contractors (including subcontractors) or consultants responsible for preparing or posting content must comply with applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, and where applicable, those set forth in the referenced policy or standards documents above. Remediation of any materials that do not comply with the applicable provisions of 36 CFR Part 1194 as set forth in the SOW, shall be the responsibility of the contractor or consultant.

The following Section 508 provisions apply to the content or communications material identified in this SOW:

36 CFR Part 1194.21 a - l 36 CFR Part 1194.22 a - p 36 CFR Part 1194.31 a - f 36 CFR Part 1194.41 a – c The contractor shall provide a completed Section 508 Product Assessment Template and the contractor shall state exactly how proposed EIT deliverable(s) meet or does not meet the applicable standards.

The following Section 508 provisions apply for software development material identified in this SOW:

For software development, the Contractor/Developer/Vendor shall comply with the standards, policies, and procedures below:

Rehabilitation Act, Section 508, Accessibility Standards

(1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

(2) 36 CFR 1194 (508 Standards)

(3) http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm (508 Standards)

(4) FAR 39.2 (Section 508)

(5) CMS/HHS Standards, policies and procedures (Section 508)

For web-based applications, the Contractor shall comply with the standards, policies, and procedures below:

Rehabilitation Act, Section 508, Accessibility Standards

(1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

(2) 36 CFR 1194 (508 Standards)

(3) http://ww.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm (508 Standards)

(4) FAR 39.2 (Section 508)

(5) CMS/HHS Standards, policies and procedures (Section 508)