SOW After Hours Answering Service

Performance Work Statement for

After-Hours Messaging and Referral Service at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico

1. Objectives: The contractor shall provide daily/nightly answering and messaging service for after-hours phone calls in-coming to the 49th Medical Group (49 MDG) at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The contractor is not required to be local. Required coverage is as follows: Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.; and 4:00 p.m. Friday through 06:30 am Monday. Additionally, the contractor will provide coverage during all medical group closures to include but not limited to training days, holidays, snow days, ACC family days, and wing down days-a list of the scheduled days will be provided to the contractor by the assigned 49MDG point of contact (POC) upon contract award.

1.1. Operators will handle calls in the following manner:

1.1.1. Operators will instruct callers that this service is not for medical emergencies and that if the caller believes he/she needs immediate medical attention, then he/she should hang up and dial 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.

1.1.2. If callers wish to speak with a physician, operators will gather caller name and contact information, check the on-call schedule and call the on-call provider (cell phone) within 10-minutes so he/she can contact the patient.

1.1.3. If the on-call provider cannot be reached within 30 minutes, the operator will call the alternate on-call provider listed in the on-call roster.

1.1.4. If callers want to find out laboratory results, want to make an appointment or need clinic specific information, then operators will have them contact the 49 MDG during normal business hours.

1.2. Holloman AFB calls are estimated to be, but are not limited to, 600 calls per month.

2. Personnel

2.1. Point of Contact. The contractor shall provide a point of contact for issues in relation to problems with phone calls, billing and reports in relation to calls taken for Holloman AFB. The contractor needs to designate this individual (or group of individuals) in writing to the contracting officer and 49th Medical Support Squadron Medical Information Management Flight (49 MDSS/SGSI) before the contract start date.

2.2. Availability. The contractor shall be available via telephone for support to the POC at the 49th Medical Group after normal business hours 4:30 pm to 7:30 am., 5 days a week, Monday – Friday; and 24 hours on weekends, holidays and down days.

3. Personnel Requirements

3.1. Education and Training Requirements. Personnel authorized to act on the behalf of the contractor shall be knowledgeable in the area that they are authorized to act on. If not able to answer the question or solve the problem of the caller on the spot, then they must be able to get the proper information to the caller within two hours depending on the nature of the call, and the level of urgency associated with the call. Personnel shall be indoctrinated and have experience in handling medical emergencies (in a professional and official capacity) with the ability to respond professionally to stress, and multiple medical emergencies. The personnel and the contractor must be located in the United States and speak fluent English, have acute knowledge of the medical after-hours call center environment, and be confident, clear, and concise when answering, and directing every call.

4. Records. Daily reports provided by the contracted vendor.

4.1. Provide a faxed /emailed daily report which will include callers name, phone number, last 4 of sponsor’s Social Security number, Name of primary care manager,(PCM), patients name, (last, first, MI), age, date, time call received, time PCM responded to answering service, the nature of the call and it’s resolution.

4.2. Records should be kept for at least three years. This is to avoid disputes regarding actual calls received and for verification of contract services being provided.

5. Government Furnished Property and Services. The government shall furnish a point of contact of the contract setup (receipt of on-call schedules, provider names and contact numbers), and proper billing information for the contract.

5.1. The 49 MDG POC for on-call schedules, provider names and contact numbers will be the group practice manager (GPM).

5.2 The 49 MDG POC for billing information for the contract will be the 49 MDG Service contract Manager.

6. Contractor Furnished Items and Services. The contractor shall provide telephone support and the services listed in section 1 of this document. The contractor will provide a valid e-mail address and/or fax number to receive on-call rosters, and will be able to utilize these on-call rosters in Microsoft Office Excel or Word format if emailed.

7. Privacy of Protected Health Information

7.1. Definitions. As used in this clause:

7.1.1. Individual has the same meaning as the term “individual” in 45 CFR 164.501 and shall include a person who qualifies as a personal representative in accordance with 45 CFR 164.502(g).

7.1.2. Privacy Rule means the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information at 45 CFR part 160 and part 164, subparts A and E.

7.1.3. Protected Health Information has the same meaning as the term “protected health information” in 45 CFR 164.501, limited to the information created or received by The Contractor from or on behalf of The Government.

7.1.4. Required by Law has the same meaning as the term “required by law” in 45 CFR 164.501.

7.1.5. Secretary means the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services or his/her designee.

7.1.6. Terms used, but not otherwise defined in this agreement, shall have the same meaning as those terms in 45 CFR 160.103 and 164.501.

7.2. The contractor agrees to not use or further disclose protected health information other than as permitted or required by the contract or as required by law.

7.3. The contractor agrees to use appropriate safeguards to prevent use or disclosure of the protected health information other than as provided for by this contract.

7.4. The contractor agrees to mitigate, to the extent practicable, any harmful effect that is known to the contractor of a use or disclosure of protected health information by the contractor in violation of the requirements of this contract.

7.5. The contractor agrees to report to the government any use or disclosure of the protected health information not provided for by this contract.

7.6. The contractor agrees to ensure that any agent, including a subcontractor to whom it provides protected health information, agrees to the same restrictions and conditions that apply through this contract to the contractor with respect to such information.

7.7. The contractor agrees to provide access, at the request of the government, and in the time and manner designated by the government, to protected health information in a designated record set, to the government or, as directed by the government, to an individual in order to meet the requirements under 45 CFR 164.524.

7.8. The contractor agrees to make any amendment(s) to protected health information in a designated record set that the government directs or agrees to pursuant to 45 CFR 164.526 at the request of the government or an individual, and in the time and manner designated by the government.

7.9. The contractor agrees to make internal practices, books, and records relating to the use and disclosure of protected health information received from, or created or received by the contractor on behalf of the government, available to the government, or at the request of the government to the Secretary, in a time and manner designated by the government or the secretary, for purposes of the secretary determining the government’s compliance with the privacy rule.

7.10. The contractor agrees to document such disclosures of protected health information and information related to such disclosures as would be required for the government to respond to a request by an individual for an accounting of disclosures of protected health information in accordance with 45 CFR 164.528.

7.11. The contractor agrees to provide to the government or an individual, in time and manner designated by the government, information collected in accordance with this clause of the contract, to permit the government to respond to a request by an individual for an accounting of disclosures of protected health information in accordance with 45 CFR 164.528.

8. Specific Use and Disclosure Provisions:

8.1. Except as otherwise limited in this agreement, the contractor may use protected health information for the proper management and administration of the contract or to carry out the legal responsibilities of the contractor.

8.2. Except as otherwise limited in this agreement, the contractor may disclose protected health information for the proper management and administration of the contract, provided that disclosures are required by law, or the contractor obtains reasonable assurances from the person to whom the information is disclosed that it will remain confidential and used or further disclosed only as required by law or for the purpose for which it was disclosed to the person, and the person notifies the contractor of any instances of which it is aware in which the confidentiality of the information has been breached.

8.3. Except as otherwise limited in this agreement, the contractor may use protected health information to provide data aggregation services to the government as permitted by 45 CFR 164.504(e)(2)(i)(B).

8.4. Contractor may use protected health information to report violations of law to appropriate federal and state authorities, consistent with 45 CFR 164.502(j)(1).

9. Obligations of the Government. Provisions for the government to inform the contractor of privacy practices and restrictions:

9.1. Upon request the government shall provide the contractor with the notice of privacy practices that the government produces in accordance with 45 CFR 164.520, as well as any changes to such notice.

9.2. The government shall provide the contractor with any changes in, or revocation of, permission by individuals to use or disclose protected health information, if such changes affect the contractor's permitted or required uses and disclosures.

9.3. The government shall notify the contractor of any restriction to the use or disclosure of protected health information that the government has agreed to in accordance with 45 CFR 164.522.

9.4. Permissible Requests by the Government: The government shall not request the contractor to use or disclose protected health information in any manner that would not be permissible under the privacy rule if done by the government, except for providing data aggregation services to the government and for management and administrative activities of the contractor as otherwise permitted by this clause.