DVBIC Draft PWS.DOCX

Performance Work Statement:

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) Traumatic Brain Injury Program Support Requirements (Personal and Non-Personal Services)

Table of Contents

1. Overview: Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC)

a. Personal Services Overview

i. Professional Liability

ii. Responsibility and Procedures

iii. Confidentiality / Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

2. Period of Performance

3. Places of Performance (Network Sites Locations)

4. Scope of Work / Overview of DVBIC (by Branch)

5. Specific Tasks by Branch

a. Mission Support

i. Pathway of Care

ii. Communications Support

iii. Business Operations

b. Clinical Affairs

i. Clinical Practices and Clinical Recommendations

ii. Outcomes, Assessment and Support

iii. Surveillance Program Support

c. Education

i. Clinical Training and Educational Products

ii. Education Outreach and Training

d. Research

i. Research Support

ii. Research Portfolio Management

iii. Clinical Translation

iv. 15 Year Longitudinal Study

6. Credentialing

7. Training

8. Government Provided Supplies / Equipment

a. Software

b. Facilities

9. Other Direct Costs (ODC’s)

10. Travel

a. Contractor Travel

b. Research Participant Travel

11. Deliverables

12. Coordinating Instructions

a. Sub-contractors

13. Definitions and Acronyms

1. OVERVIEW

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC), also known as the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Center of Excellence, is a Federal Program within the Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Health Agency (DHA) J9 Research and Development Directorate. DVBIC serves to improve the care and health outcomes of active-duty military, veterans, and military beneficiaries with traumatic brain injury (TBI) by conducting and supporting military and veteran relevant clinical research, and developing state-of-the-science clinical and educational products and programs related to TBI prevention, identification, assessment, and treatment.

DVBIC is a congressionally-mandated, multi-site program established in 1992. As the Military Health System’s (MHS) TBI Pathway of Care manager, DVBIC promotes state-of-the-science care from point of injury to reintegration for Service members, veterans, and their families to prevent and mitigate consequences of TBI.

TBI is a prevalent injury in both peacetime and wartime for Service Members and veterans. The leading causes of TBI in theater are bullets and fragments, blasts, falls, motor vehicle-traffic crashes and assaults.

As a matter of interest to the contractor, the government will continue to pursue external funding resources such as from the US Army Medical Research and Development Command and Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center, Fort Detrick, MD, respectively. The contractor may be given an opportunity to manage and administer the external funding assistance agreements as another source of external funding.

Government personnel within DVBIC have the responsibility for the development and oversight of clinical investigations, education, and clinical support along the TBI Pathway of Care. Personal services contractor employees will receive supervision from government site directors at DVBIC sites. Non-personal services contractor employees will perform tasks as described in the contract and will be supervised by contractor personnel. In each case, contractor personnel will have direct operational responsibility for each program both at headquarters and Network Sites to ensure the mission is achieved.

DVBIC must be able to respond to new tasks from the Office of the Assistant of Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD(HA)), Congress, DoD, VA, DHA, and other organizations or agencies. Current tasks include: Family Caregiver Program Guide, the 15-Year Longitudinal Programs, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018, and initiatives as stated in the Warfighter Brain Heath Memorandum.

a. PERSONAL AND NON-PERSONAL SERVICES OVERVIEW

This contract is a personal and non-personal services contract as discussed hereafter. As a personal services contract it is intended to create an employer-employee relationship between the Government and the individual contract health care providers only to the extent necessary for providing the healthcare, clinical investigations, and other services required under this contract. The performance of healthcare services by the individual contract health care providers under a personal services contract are subject to day-to-day supervision, clinical oversight and control by government healthcare facility personnel comparable to that exercised over military and civil service health care providers engaged in comparable healthcare services. Any personal injury claims alleging negligence by the individual contract health care providers within the scope of the health care provider’s performance of the personal services contract shall be processed by Department of Defense (DoD) in the same manner as claims alleging negligence by DoD military or civil service health care providers. The authority for acquiring personal services as part of this contract is 10 United States Code 1089 and 10 United States Code 1091.

To the extent that personal or non-personal services are acquired under the contract, the contract does not create an employer-employee relationship between the Government and any corporation, partnership, business association or other party or legal entity with which the contract health care provider may be associated.

Anticipated Contractor Staff of this performance work statement delineates which positions are personal and non-personal services, respectively.

i. Professional Liability: For personal services pursuant to 10 USC 1089(a), DoD shall process any personal injury claim alleging negligence by the Contractor within the scope of the Contractor’s performance under this contract as claims alleging negligence by DoD military or civil service health care provider (HCP). The Contractor or HCP is not required to maintain medical malpractice liability insurance, and the Government will not reimburse or otherwise pay for such insurance should any be purchased.

For non-personal services, the government will not be liable for malpractice allegations against contract HCP’s based upon performance of this contract. The Contractor shall be required to carry malpractice insurance for its contract HCPs, at a level stated in the solicitation and included in any resulting contract for subject acquisition in tailored FAR Clause 52.237-7. If an apparent successful offeror, the Contractor shall provide evidence of insurability concerning medical liability insurance prior to contract award. Upon contract award, the Contractor shall provide evidence of insurance demonstrating the required coverage prior to commencement of performance. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.237-7, the Contractor will indemnify the Government for any liability producing act or omission by the Contractor, its contract HCPs and agents occurring during contract performance. If the Contractor uses Subcontractors in the performance of this contract, the Contractor is required to ensure that its Subcontracts for provisions of healthcare services contain the requirements of FAR 52.237-7, including the maintenance of medical liability insurance.

ii. Responsibility and Procedures: For the personal services portions of this contract, if any suit or action is filed or any claim is made against the Contractor, which occurred as a result of work performed by the Contractor under this contract, the Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), the Contracting Officer (KO) and the Commander/ Medical Director of the appropriate services and Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) facility, and promptly furnish them copies of all pertinent documents received.

The Contracting Officer's Representative is responsible for monitoring the contractor's progress in fulfilling the technical requirements specified in the contract. Should the contractor fail to fulfill the contractual requirements, the COR must inform the Contracting Officer of such failure. The COR maintains administration records, approves invoices and performs quarterly monitoring reports to confirm the contractor is meeting the terms and conditions under the contract.

There are limits to the authority delegated to the COR from the KO. The COR is not authorized to make any commitments or obligations on behalf of the government, the KO is the only authorized authority that can commit or obligate on behalf of the government. The COR may not grant the contractor permission to deviate from the requirements stated in the contract, nor direct the contractor to perform any work outside that stated in the contract, these actions can only be done by the KO.

For the non-personal services portions of this contract, if any suit or action is filed or any claim is made against the contract HCP, which occurred as a result of work performed by the HCP under this contract, the HCP shall immediately notify the contractor and the Contracting Officer and the chief of the appropriate services and promptly furnish them copies of all pertinent papers received.

For personal services portions of this contract, the Contractor shall cooperate with the Government, without further compensation, in the processing, review, settlement, or defense of the suit, action, or claim; and authorize Government representatives to settle or defend the claim and to represent the Contractor in, or take charge of, any litigation involved in such an action. The Contractor may, at the Contractor’s own expense, participate in defense of such claim or litigation.

iii. Confidentiality / Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): The Contractor shall abide by Army Regulation (AR) 40-3 (Medical, Dental, And Veterinary Care) and Army Regulation (AR) 40-66 (Medical Record Administration And Health Care Documentation) concerning the nature of limited privileged communication between patient and health care provider for security and personnel reliability programs. The Contractor shall abide by AR 40-66 concerning the confidentiality of patient records, as embodied in Federal statutes including the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Drug and Alcohol Act, Public Law 92-129 and HIPAA. The Contractor shall direct all requests for medical information on patients to the DVBIC Network Site Medical Director. The Contractor shall not release any medical or personal information on a patient without first receiving written approval from the Government. Government will provide the regulations upon request by the Contractor.

The Commander of military treatment facilities/Medical Director of DVA facilities has the prerogative to hold in abeyance, to deny, or to summarily suspend clinical privileges/practice when there is a reasonable cause to doubt the health care provider’s competence to practice or for any cause affecting the safety of patients or others. AR 40-68 outlines the adverse clinical privileging and practice actions for privileged personnel and adverse practice actions and peer review for non-privileged personnel.

The quality of care provided by the Contractor Health Care Provider (HCP) shall be of a quality meeting or exceeding currently recognized national standards as established by the Joint Commission (JC). Contractor HCP shall give the highest regard to patient dignity and observe the precepts of the American Hospital Association’s Bill of Rights for Patients. The Contractor HCP shall abide by the applicable DoD Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) and/or Department of Veterans Affairs rules, regulations and by laws, including Medical Staff Bylaws, as well as applicable service regulations governing such things as medical records.

Clinical investigations will follow all local Institutional Review Boards (IRB) procedures. DVBIC HQ may review all DVBIC related clinical investigations protocols. Procedures may vary according to if the site is a military treatment facility or a Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) facility.

Under the guidance of the Government, the Contractor may support studies as: Principal Investigator; Associate Investigator; coordinator; and more specialized clinical research roles as determined by the needs of the network site. All contractor employees must work seamlessly with DVBIC mission areas – Education, Clinical Affairs, Research and Mission Support, in addition to the military Services, local commands, and/or Government agencies to ensure appropriate alignment of mission.

Some DVBIC researchers may also be clinicians, practicing at these local military training facilities pursuant to other contracts and are reimbursed for those services separately (and shall not charge such services against this contract). The Contractor shall ensure the performance of these employees’ responsibilities under those other contracts do not conflict or compromise their ability to perform responsibilities under this contract. At the beginning of this contract, the Contractor shall notify the contracting officer of each contracted research / clinical investigator it proposes to perform services under this contract, and who also will support other contracts. The Contractor shall describe the nature of those other contracted responsibilities, the hours required for such responsibilities each week, explain how those responsibilities will not conflict with responsibilities under this contract, and provide measures to resolve all actual or potential conflicts. The Contractor shall identify each contract in detail.

The Contracting Officer may disapprove the Contractor’s proposed clinical investigator if the Government is not satisfied with the procedures for ensuring the clinical investigator can adequately perform responsibilities under this contract.

These pre-review and approval procedures are applicable to all future Contractor employees, and must be met before the clinical investigators can begin performance under this contract. In all instances, the Contractor remains responsible for ensuring that costs are charged to the appropriate contract.

Under Government guidance, the Contractor shall ensure DVBIC’s research program spans all military services and the VA and collaborate with civilian academic partners as appropriate. The impact of this diversity means that the regulatory demands are multi-layered and significant.

2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The periods of performance for this contract will be as follows:

Transition In Period: 26 Sep 2020 – 25 Dec 2020 Base Period: 26 Dec 2020 through 25 Dec 2021 Option Period 1: 26 Dec 2021 through 25 Dec 2022 Option Period 2: 26 Dec 2022 through 25 Dec 2023 Option Period 3: 26 Dec 2023 through 25 Dec 2024 Option Period 4: 26 Dec 2024 through 25 Dec 2025 Transition Out Period: 26 December 2025 through 25 March 2026

3. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

DVBIC operates with a headquarters and a network at DoD Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) and VA Facilities across the US and in Germany that will be supported under this contract. DVBIC operates with a significant complement of contract staff, both at headquarters and across the DVBIC network sites. Contract staff is integral to the execution of DVBIC’s mission and directly contributes to the various lines of business within DVBIC that will affect the TBI population.

DVBIC Headquarters (HQ) is located in Silver Spring, MD with government and contract staff working in the National Capital Region in support of HQ-driven activities and the network sites. The HQ, with contractor support, develops clinical support and education products and ensures centralized coordination of business operations and TBI programs to include clinical investigations. Headquarters also facilitates collaboration between the DHA, military, DoD, VA, civilian health partners, local communities, families and individuals with TBI, such as the Veterans Health Administration; Veterans Benefits Administration; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institutes of Health; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; National Institute of Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research; Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences/TBI Research Center/ /Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine; National Intrepid Center of Excellence and the Intrepid Spirit Centers. These collaborators work with DVBIC to conduct clinical investigations and provide or coordinate services that support individuals with TBI in their goals of returning to duty, returning to the workforce, and/or in returning to their families and communities. To accomplish this mission, DVBIC requires robust, flexible, and well-supported clinical investigations, educational, and clinical programs to ensure success throughout the entire program.

NETWORK SITE LOCATIONS

This contract will support DVBIC HQ (Silver Spring, MD) as well as all of the following research network sites.

Camp Lejeune, NC

Camp Pendleton, CA

Fort Belvoir, VA

Fort Bragg, NC

Fort Bliss, TX

Fort Bragg, NC

Fort Campbell

Fort Carson, CO

Fort Hood, TX

Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), WA

Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER), Alaska

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), Germany

Naval Medical Center, San Diego (NMCSD), CA

San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), TX

Special Operations Command (SOCOM) – MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Bethesda, MD

VA Polytrauma Rehabilitiaton Center - Minneapolis, MN

VA Polytrauma Rehabilitiaton Center - Palo Alto, CA

VA Polytrauma Rehabilitiaton Center - Richmond, VA

VA Polytrauma Rehabilitiaton Center - San Antonio, TX

VA Polytrauma Rehabilitiaton Center - Tampa, FL/ MacDill AFB

2. SCOPE OF WORK / Overview of DVBIC by Branches

In support of the TBI Pathway of Care, DVBIC serves active duty military, their beneficiaries, and veterans with TBI through state-of-the science innovative clinical research initiatives and educational programs, and support for force health protection services and clinical care knowledge. DVBIC fulfills this mission through ongoing collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD), military services, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), civilian health partners, local communities, families and individuals with TBI. The contractor staff shall work under the direction and oversight of the government for all described tasks.

DVBIC Headquarters Support and Other Support Tasks

Mission Support Provide support to advance DVBIC top priorities, assuring infrastructure, regulatory compliance and financial accountability in support of the DVBIC organizational mission.

Clinical Affairs Provide state-of-the-science TBI care knowledge by developing clinical recommendations, analyzing outcomes, surveillance reporting, and providing subject matter expertise on TBI-related matters.

Education Provide educational programs, materials and training for Service members, veterans, healthcare providers, military line leaders, families, caregivers, and civilian communities on awareness, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of TBI.

Research Provide evidence-based knowledge to the MHS through conducting and supporting clinically focused military-relevant, gaps- and hypotheses-driven TBI research, and evaluating research processes and programs to identify, improve and advance treatments resulting in positive outcomes for Service members and veterans who have sustained TBI. Additionally, research efforts are focused on increased evidence-base in the impact of blast and subconcussive incidents (single and repetitive) on the Warfighter. Continue to support Congressionally-mandated research projects, such as the 15 Year Longitudinal Study.

3. SPECIFIC TASKS BY BRANCH

a. DVBIC Mission Support Office

The TBI Mission Support branch advances DVBIC’s mission by providing technical expertise to support TBI programmatic functions, planning, policy, analyses, process development and performance improvements across DVBIC and its network sites. The TBI Mission Support Section consist of the offices of Pathway of Care Support, Communications Support, and Business Operations.

i. Pathway of Care Support

With the direction and oversight of government, contract staff shall:

· Provide critical analysis and data management to enhance DVBIC data analysis capabilities. Analyze and identify issues with various data sets and prepare reports and dashboards for both the internal and external stakeholders. Support the organization in standardizing performance metrics and data reporting practices.

· Provide the Division Chief and leadership staff with information for developing, managing, and controlling various applications and ad hoc reports for data capture and data quality improvement activities.

· Track, collate, integrate, and summarize internal and external tasks. Advise senior leadership on policy and strategy to define strategic goals and support the TBI Pathway of Care.

ii. Communications Support

With the direction and oversight of government, contract staff shall:

· Provide technical writing expertise. Create reports related to healthcare; write and/or edit a wide variety of communications products, including newsletter articles, bulletins, transcripts, special reports, etc.

· Support DVBIC programs through the development of TBI specific products and content, dissemination and outreach activities to clinicians and non-clinicians, and strategic communications planning. Promote the awareness and utilization of DVBIC developed content to include clinical support tools educational products, website content, social media content, blogs, podcasts, and other content and materials as directed. Review the content for quality.

· Support DVBIC’s communications strategy and objectives. With government oversight, will assist in the development of a strategic communications plan and its implementation a broad range of public relations activities. Support promulgation/dissemination of clinical recommendations and educational materials that communicate intended messages to key audiences.

· Facilitate communications and public affairs (PA) initiatives as determined by DVBIC leadership and DHA PA requirements.

· Produce and coordinate the development of communication, dissemination, and marketing materials and content to include research, information papers, education publications, clinical recommendations, process improvement and evaluation reports, scripts for PowerPoint narration, podcasts etc.

· Provide DVBIC graphics products for media and other purposes. Support and facilitate DVBIC printing needs through determination of printing specifications, paper sizes, ink colors, layout requirements, and use of photographs. Support DVBIC by capturing and communicating images, videos and events for disseminating the message of TBI care. Develop original designs, concepts, or visual styles for publications, exhibits, or presentation materials that present to the public the ideas or image desired by the organization.

· Collaborate with DVBIC program managers to support new and recurring DVBIC events to include internal and external events (such as Brain Injury Awareness Month, DVBIC National Meeting, DVBIC All Hands, etc.)

· Monitor, analyze, and update organization website and social media platforms. Generate reports on traffic and provide recommendations for online communications.

· Facilitate communications across the network sites and manage DVBIC internal and external communications with the media and public. Develop, produce, and maintain DVBIC internal and external communication vehicles, such as website, marketing materials, publications, newsletters, invitations, flyers, advertisements, and annual reports, etc. Coordinate newsletters, blogs, and other communications for DVBIC HQ and network sites.

· Manage DVBIC’s public relations through external communications, messaging, communications strategy and objectives. Manage website content, facilitate website changes, monitor website traffic, search engine optimization, web metrics and analytics, and assist with communications and public affairs reviews.

· Provide DVBIC with medical writing and editing support including taskers, the DVBIC annual report, scientific writing, newsletters, presentations, information papers, and posters.

· Draft and facilitate the drafting of status reports, such as the weekly DVBIC Situational Report (SITREP) and organizational briefs.

iii. Business Operations

With the direction and oversight of government, contract staff shall:

· Provide expertise to identify, analyze, and execute DVBIC’s contracting, fiscal, resource management, and workforce requirements to support TBI programs.

· Write, staff, track Memorandum of Agreement [MOA] and Memorandum of Understanding [MOU], cooperative research and development agreements [CRADA], interagency agreements [IAA] for DVBIC.

· Support the management of DVBIC travel request processes to support DVBIC’s TBI programmatic functions to include coordinating Temporary Duty Assignment (TDY) requests and approval processes, tracking the status of TDY requests, and notifying personnel of approved or denied TDY request. Assist personnel with travel arrangements (site visit coordination, transportation, lodging, etc.) and inform government if there are any issues. Track and evaluate travel approvals and reimbursement to ensure in accordance with JTR/JFTR.

· Coordinate the procurement of supplies, equipment, and services from external sources; ensures they are procured at the best possible cost to meet organizational needs. Develop and provide accountability and life-cycle management of property. Recommend policy for collection, distribution, and disposal of excess property and salvage. Support effective utilization of federal workspace, consistent with mission requirements, to maximize its value to the organization. Identify solutions to ensure a quality workplace environment that supports DVBIC HQ operations.

· Manage rosters, organizational charts, employee directories and contact information, and plan the continuity of operations. Support the creation, execution, and oversight of policies and procedures related to supporting the hiring and management of employees, to include workforce strategic planning, hiring, performance appraisal, and awards. Coordinate training requirements and professional development training as necessary.

· Provide administrative support for programmatic activities such document management, in person and virtual conference planning, meeting planning, event planning, travel arrangement support, supplies, strategic communications and other administrative functions.

· Develop and maintain an operational plan containing essential program/project planning information for use by executive management, analyzing program/project progress, identifying and resolving issues, accounting for resources and, reporting. This area also includes planning and conducting life-cycle management reviews, and impact assessments, as well as providing administrative and management planning support for analyzing, developing and updating policy and planning documents.

· Coordinate, track, and manage DVBIC tasks from internal or external stakeholders to include Congressional Request for Information (RFIs) and directives and sustain visibility of current and forthcoming policies impacting DVBIC and the military and veteran TBI community.

· Assist with planning, development, and assessment of DVBIC programs and strategic initiatives and work with DVBIC leadership to set and implement strategic and organizational goals, identify measures of effectiveness, the collection and assessment of business and operational data across the DVBIC and its network sites to facilitate accountability and effective resource utilization.

· Provide support to DVBIC in managing the TBI Pathway of Care initiative through project management, policy development support, facilitating liaison and coordination activities with the Services and the TBI Advisory Committee (TAC).

· Support evidence-based decision making on DVBIC programs, processes or products by providing analytic support. Identify, analyze and improve existing business processes to increase organization efficiency and effectiveness by supporting the development of a quality system, standard operating procedures and process improvement initiatives.

· Assist in the development and ongoing reporting of divisional performance using established scorecard metrics to support the continuous monitoring and improvement of divisional work processes. Develop business and performance dashboards using data visualization platforms to facilitate quantitative based decision making by DVBIC leadership. Import data from multiple sources for analysis and reporting to DVBIC leadership.

· Support the continuous integration of sites into DVBIC network and programmatic process. Develop and maintain procedures and checklists to effectively integrate sites into DVBIC network and programmatic processes. Facilitate annual assessment and reporting of DVBIC network site performance assessments by maintaining site profiles.

· Perform a variety of support services such as property accountability, visitor access control, answering telephones, ordering and receiving office supplies and equipment, editing or maintaining technical, financial planning and tracking, programmatic and administrative documentation and references, preparing travel documentation and coordinating travel arrangements, operation of reproduction equipment to produce large volumes of documents, courier service and mail service, etc.

· Develop systems and processes to support the administrative and operational management and communications between DVBIC HQ and its network sites. Provide assistance with logistics relating to site visits as well as initiatives that build our community of TBI partnerships through collaborations in the field.

· Work with SMEs from other branches to draft and coordinate support agreements, such as DUA/MOU/MOA, CRADA etc.

· Assist with grant submissions (process for DVBIC to accept grants).

· Assist with HQ or network need for advance development of a product/ technology transfer issues/ communication with the FDA.

TBI SERVICES AND SUPPORT POSITIONS

b. Clinical Affairs

The Clinical Affairs Branch serves as the clinical TBI subject matter experts (SMEs) and supports clinical care programs at DVBIC network sites and across the MHS. This branch is responsible for the offices of Clinical Practices and Clinical Recommendations, Surveillance, and Outcomes, Assessment and Support.

· Assist with development or continue methods and capabilities to detect, manage and assess patient conditions and outcomes and anticipate emerging issues;

· Expand on-going TBI surveillance of military personnel returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/ Operation New Dawn (OND), and other populations as identified;

· Collaborate with DoD, VA, and other subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop and update clinical standards, recommendations and guidelines for care and education of TBI health care providers;

i. Clinical Practices and Clinical Recommendations

The Clinical Practices and Clinical Recommendations (CPCR) office provides clinical recommendations on the state of the science TBI care to the DoD and VA healthcare systems, and supports TBI-related clinical efforts and projects in collaboration with DoD, VA, and civilian organizations and DVBIC leadership. Under supervision of the Government, the contract staff will stay abreast of the updates to the current body of literature. Through ongoing information sharing with leadership, decisions will be made to revise or develop new material based on agreed upon needs assessment.

The contract staff shall function as clinical TBI SMEs to other branches within DVBIC headquarters, DVBIC Network Sites, organizations within the DoD and VA, and civilian collaborators. The contract staff shall support an email clinical consultation service that is monitored by TBI SMEs that have received special training on in-theater management of TBI. The contract staff shall provide appropriately trained TBI SMEs to make specialty recommendations (CONUS and OCONUS) concerning when and how to screen for TBI, strategies for symptom management, return to duty recommendation, medication, and other areas where neurological and psychological health concerns overlap.

In addition to these daily tasks and projects, CPCR staff shall support the Education section, under the supervision of the Government, in the development of clinical and educational content to ensure the most up-to-date, high quality information is disseminated to providers throughout the DoD and VA.

ii. Outcomes, Assessment and Support

The mission of the Outcomes, Assessment, and Support office, under the direction of the 2014 ASD (HA) Pathway of Care Memorandum, is to track and monitor TBI outcomes. The Contract staff will work under the direction of the Government to develop and execute plans to collect and analyze TBI outcomes data. This involves working as part of a team, across many sites to assimilate and analyze complex data sets. The office is supported by headquarters SMEs. This data will be uploaded into the Wounded Ill and Injured Registry (WIIR) for tracking and analysis by the headquarters team.

iii. Surveillance Program Support

In the Health Affairs memorandum, dated 1 October, 2007, DVBIC was designated as the office of responsibility for collecting and reporting the incidence and prevalence of TBI in the military population. This mission requirement was reiterated in April 2015. The mission of the surveillance office is to provide information and reports on the occurrence of TBI within the U.S. Armed Forces in order to help understand the impact of TBI within the military health system. Assigned contract staff will be directly involved in the collection, analysis, and reporting of this information as their primary responsibilities.

The contract staff shall access Government databases to identify and track the incidence and prevalence of TBI among beneficiaries receiving healthcare at MTFs, VA Polytrauma centers, and civilian facilities. The contractor staff shall analyze data in order to understand and report the impact of TBI throughout the military life cycle – from entry into the service until their death. The Contractor shall support the DVBIC and Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch (AFHSB) monthly collaborations in the public release of DoD TBI numbers.

This data serves as a source for informed decisions on the development of new and continuation of existing TBI relevant policies, programs, clinical standards of care and education. These numbers are published retrospectively, as well as current TBI incident for all services. This information will be used by the Army, Air Force, and Navy Office of The Surgeon General, and Health Affairs. Additionally, the surveillance office contract staff will collaborate in developing and refining surveillance methods on the collection of cases for this population.

CLINICAL AFFAIRS POSITIONS

EXPERT WORKING GROUP BENCH

c. Education

The Education Branch provides a variety educational and training tools and services aimed at improving care for traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, including Service members and veterans, and increasing public awareness of the effects of TBI. The educational efforts are focused on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of TBI. This branch is responsible for the offices of Clinical Training and Education Products and Outreach and Education.

· Assist with development and expansion of TBI education programs directed toward healthcare providers, leaders, patients (Service members and veterans) and their family members;

· Assist with development of TBI-specific educational tools, materials, and programs for DoD and VA;

· Maintain a network of education coordinators to include market education coordinators (MECs) in support of furthering TBI education;

i. Clinical Training and Education Products

The Clinical Training and Education Products Office provides and facilitates education and training activities for healthcare providers at military and VA facilities; develops standardized TBI education and training curricula along the continuum of care and across the spectrum of TBI severity; serves as SMEs in TBI education for the Department of Defense. Contract staff will support these activities to include:

· Identifying emerging education and training needs in the TBI community, and gaps in clinical and community education and training programs through formal channels (e.g., new DoD Instructions and DoD Directives on training requirements, focus groups and engagement sessions) and informal channels (e.g., field reports, suggestions from providers and market education coordinators).

· Providing technical assistance and consultation for the development of new initiatives or revision of established TBI educational programs (e.g., needs and gaps can be identified during focus groups or engagement sessions, followed by development of educational modules and learning deliverables and the design of education evaluation criteria).

· Developing education and training opportunities (including education sessions and curricula) that allow for rapid translation, dissemination and implementation of clinical knowledge into clinical practice for practitioners and leaders throughout MHS.

· Assist with the development and production of print, web and multimedia materials targeted to healthcare providers, Service members, veterans and families affected by TBI. Contract staff will ensure that educational materials are shipped to regional education coordinators, healthcare providers and military/veteran treatment facilities worldwide -- including deployed settings through the world. Educational materials that the contractor may assist in the development of include pamphlets, handouts, booklets, tip cards, clinician resources, promotional materials, and prevention/awareness campaign materials. The Contractor is responsible for assisting in the planning, specification and project management of all education materials produced by DVBIC. Responsibilities also include the maintenance and adherence to graphic standards and the establishment of clear learning objectives and use criteria for all DVBIC education material.

ii. Outreach and Education

The Education Outreach Office performs outreach to key stakeholder groups (including healthcare providers, Service members, veterans, family members, caregivers, line leaders and commanders, and the community) to increase TBI awareness and share DVBIC resources; ensure stakeholders receive appropriate training materials, curricula and education consultation aligned with DoD guidelines. Education Outreach provides outreach and educational services that educate Service members, veterans, caregivers, family members, and providers about TBI, its prevention, and its treatment in areas of high prevalence and high concentrations of Service members and veterans. The primary objective of these efforts is to reduce the occurrence of TBI, reduce the time to treatment after TBI, and improve adherence to recovery guidelines.

Across the DVBIC network, there will be 16 Regional Education Coordinators (REC), who increase awareness, promote prevention and improve management of TBI. This wide-reaching REC network allows DVBIC the unique opportunity to participate in events throughout CONUS and OCONUS, not only at large military installations, but also in the smaller, underserved regions. This group of contract staff reaches out to Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, veterans and their families through events, classes, conferences, and visits to military installations.

Under government direction and oversight, the contract RECs work collaboratively with the HQ staff Education Branch in providing educational opportunities for the multi-disciplinary team involved in the care of military and veterans with TBI.

The contract RECs provide consultation to Service Members and veterans at DVBIC network sites related to TBI educational issues, while integrating principles of adult learning into strategies for the development and delivery of various educational products to teach clinicians/ Service members and families about TBI. At military installations, RECs use DVBIC materials to provide or facilitate pre- and post-deployment TBI educational sessions for military leadership, Service Members, as well as their families. DVBIC has formed a partnership with the services to ensure TBI clinical tools are in healthcare providers’ hands prior to their deployment.

DVBIC contract educators provide a presence at professional military and civilian healthcare conferences with exhibits to highlight the free services and products that are available to the military and veteran community and the healthcare professionals who treat them.

iii. TBI Initiative Support

DoD Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) FY2013 -2015, Objective 2.2.A, calls for initiatives for facilitating improved availability and access to health care for all Service members and Veterans at risk for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) by improving and expanding education and public awareness initiatives to highlight prevention strategies, promote safety, and heighten awareness and understanding of signs and symptoms of TBI within the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by March 31, 2014.

The goal of the TBI Initiative is to promote TBI prevention, recognition, and recovery through the delivery of effective education and outreach across the MHS.

Specific objectives include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

· Increase awareness of risk reduction and prevention strategies, recognition of TBI causes of injury and signs/symptoms, recovery resources for active duty military, veterans, families, and caregivers.

· Increase awareness among line leaders, commanders, and healthcare providers to reduce TBI risk, increase recognition, promote safety, enhance unit readiness, and facilitate proper management.

· Receive feedback from stakeholders (solicited and unsolicited) on the usefulness of information to help injured patients, family members, and/or caregivers follow through on their care plan.

The purpose of DVBIC's TBI Awareness Initiative (TBI Initiative) is to develop, market, and sustain a national public awareness, education and outreach strategy and a partnership plan targeting DVBIC stakeholders (service members, veterans, and their families and caregivers, health care providers, line leaders and commanders).

Specifically, the purpose of the initiative is to:

• Encourage TBI risk reduction and prevention.

• Educate and inform target audiences about common causes, signs and symptoms, and when to seek medical evaluation.

• Promote recovery through awareness and education about DVBIC’s resources and other services.

The Contractor shall perform essential tasks to support, develop, maintain, and refine a national public education and awareness initiative that builds on the current and existing DVBIC products, resources and initiatives. The initiative will primarily focus on risk reduction, prevention, awareness, recovery and promotion of TBI resources. The tasks listed below are aligned with the primary aims of the initiative:

a) encourage TBI risk reduction and prevention,

b) educate and inform target audiences about common causes, signs and symptoms, and when to seek medical evaluation,

c) promote recovery through awareness and education about DVBIC’s resources and other services.

As delineated below, assist in the development of new products; maintain, enhance and disseminate multimedia, broadcast media, and DVBIC-related products and messaging:

Multimedia Products

· Video profiles (minimum of two but up to three per year) with greatest effort given to seeking diverse representation in component, Service affiliation and rank.

· Public Service Announcements – video and radio (both video and radio is a minimum of three and maximum of seven per year)

· Audio news clips (minimum of two and maximum of three per year)

· Podcasts (minimum of four and maximum of six per year)

· Blog posts (minimum of 4 per year)

· Print features (minimum of two and maximum of four per year).

· Educational and promotional products or materials that build on current and existing DVBIC products, resources and initiatives.

· Other materials in accordance with Government’s guidance and within the scope of the contract and mission.

Direct Contact Methods and Other Strategies to Enhance Education and Awareness

· Develop contact strategies (e.g., panel presentation of profiles, briefings) and dissemination of information and materials to include but is not limited to service members, veterans, military spouses, caregivers, health care providers and senior military and civilian DoD leadership.

· Identify and facilitate identification of events with greatest impact for dissemination and engagement with target audience.

Digital Strategy and Social Media Support

· Ensure continuous improvement to application/social media, content relevance/accuracy/management, and user experience.

· Based on advances, trends and changes in technology and the adoption of these technologies by the target audience, the Contractor shall identify and propose, develop, and execute digital strategies (e.g., digital publication, application) that enhance reach and effectiveness of the initiative.

· Complete updates in digital platforms to conform to changes in industry standards (i.e., operating systems). These updates may be related to updates and security compliance requirements and may require optional task to be exercised, as well as the remediation of security finding resulting from the execution to ensure the web and digital platforms meet the requirements of the government.

Outreach and Media Relations

· Identify, facilitate and engage in opportunities to exhibit and/or present at conferences as identified and approved by DVBIC and DHA

· In close collaboration with DVBIC staff (i.e., Public Affairs Officer, COR, leadership and SMEs), initiative staff (e.g., program manager, project manager, task manager) coordinates media relations related to the initiative goals and aims, including engaging media for the purpose of informing the public and target audiences of the TBI Initiative and DVBIC’s mission, goals, policies, and practices in a positive, consistent, professional and credible manner. Information on the event, its audience, reach and impact will be reported within five business days after the completion of the event in the form of an After Action Report and/or Executive Summary Activities will include but not be limited to:

· Proposing stories and interviews to the media

· Preparing leaders, SMEs and profiles for interviews. Develop and update slide decks, t alking points that identify relevant AHFTF content and resources

· Drawing media attention to the AHFTF and DVBIC mission, goals and resources.

· With Government oversight, develop and enhance engagement with Active and Reserve components, the Department of Veterans Affairs, other federal agencies (e.g., Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), military and civilian organizations (e.g., Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, veterans organizations, and support groups), and individuals for participation on national and regional levels through a formal partnership program.

· An internal and external communications strategy to engage target audience (e.g., service members, veterans, families) and external stakeholders (e.g., military leadership, healthcare providers). Additionally, support and synchronize with communications planning activities, including development of an overall framework for managing and coordinating the wide variety of communications that will directly or indirectly take place as part of the AHFTF.

· Propose awareness and education activities, including, but not limited to military recognition…