HT001424R0004 RFP Q and A 22Dec2023.pdf

NO. REFERENCE PG.

NO.

PARA. NO ISSUE / COMMENT QUESTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

1 Presolicitation Notice

NA NA This is with reference to Presolicitation notice for PAD Medical Coders and Transcription Services, Can we offer the proposal for Medical Transcription services only?

Offers submitted must capture all requirements in the PWS.

2 Presolicitation Notice

NA NA Would you consider giving extra credit or scoring preferences on this opportunity to 8(a) small businesses whose response outlines a subcontract partnership with an AbilityOne agency for any part of the requirement?

Subcontracting is not an evaluation criteria for this solicitation. Therefore, no scoring preference will be given on any subcontracting arrangement.

3 Presolicitation Notice

NA NA Is the expected RFP date of November 20, 2023, still accurate?

No. The new expected RFP release date is December 8, 2023.

4 Presolicitation Notice

NA NA Would you provide insight into the number of Full- Time Equivalents (FTEs) responsible for generating the stated "183,334" lines of transcription over the 11-month period as outlined on page 32 of the Performance Work Statement

(PWS)?

Transcription services requirement is not FTE based. It is at the contractor's discretion how many FTEs or other solution it would require to meet the the transcription volume required in the

PWS.

5 Presolicitation Notice

NA NA Does the existing solution incorporate voice recognition technology for dictation?

See item #4 response

6 Presolicitation Notice

NA NA Who is the incumbent for this contract? Integrated Management Strategies, LLC.

7 Presolicitation Notice

NA NA Would you share the estimated ceiling value of the contract?

There is no established ceiling value for this contact.

8 Presolicitation Notice

NA NA In addition to supervisory personnel, will embedded Subject Mater Expert (SME) coders in each department be considered as key personnel?

No. All coders are SMEs for coding.

9 Presolicitation Notice

NA NA Is there an incumbent for this contract? If so, could the Government share the incumbent Name, along with the contract number and contract value?

See # above

10 Draft Solicitation

NA NA Can you kindly provide an estimated timeframe for Solicitation issuance?

Solicitation is expected to be released on 1 December 2023.

11 Draft Solicitation

NA NA What is the expected turn-around-time (TAT) for each item at the unit level?

The TAT for coding are as follows: (a) ER Coding is 3 days from date of service; (b) IPRS Coding is 3 days from date of service; (c) Day Surgery Coding is 15 days from the date of service; (d) Anesthesia Coding is 15 days from the date of service; and Inpatient Coding is 30 days from the date of service.

12 Draft Solicitation

NA NA Is 24/7 support required for this project? No

13 Draft Solicitation

NA NA Can we deliver the services remotely using digital means?

This requirement authorizes telework arrangements. At least one of the key personnel must be available on-site.

MANAGEMENT OF MEDICAL RECORDS SUPPORT AND TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES

HT001424R0004

Questions and Answers for Presolitation, Draft RFP, and RFP

22 December 2023

PARA. NO ISSUE / COMMENT QUESTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

14 Draft Solicitation

NA NA Who will be responsible for checking the quality of our deliverables?

Patient Administration Department. The Medical Records Admnistrator.

15 Draft Solicitation

NA NA How are quality metrics defined for this project? 97% coding accuracy rate Coding each encounter ontime, based on the timeframe stated in 11 above.

16 Draft Solicitation

NA NA What is the current EHR in operation at

WRNMMC?

MHS Genesis (Cerner-Oracle)- Power Chart and 3M 360.

17 Draft Solicitation

NA NA Will there be any penalties for (i) delayed TAT and

(ii) falling short of the quality level?

Yes. The Government may request the staff to be removed from the contract for poor quality of work.

18 Draft Solicitation

NA NA Will our onsite personnel be provided with a desk and other necessary connectivity infrastructure?

Yes. See section 3.4 of the PWS.

19 Draft Solicitation

NA NA Will a project coordinator from the contractor's side be appointed to oversee this project?

This is at the contractor's discretion.

20 PWS 16 5.1 It is mentioned on SAM.gov that “DHACA NM-CD intends to competitively solicit and award a firm-fixed-price contract.” It is mentioned on SAM.gov that “DHACA NM-CD intends to competitively solicit and award a firm-fixed-price contract.”

However, in the draft PWS, it is mentioned: “Contract employees working under this contract shall be paid only for hours actually worked at the hourly rates established in the contract.”

Please clarify whether the resulting contract will be Firm-Fixed, or Labor-Hour based?

The resulting contract will be Firm Fixed Price with the negotiated hourly rates as Fixed Price.

Labor hours may be adjusted based on contractor actual performance.

21 PWS 19 5.4 Can we clarify if the Site Manager needs to be on-site at Walter Reed 5-days a week or can ther be a Hybrid or remote work arrangement?

This requirement authorizes telework arrangement where Site Manager and Deputy Site Manager may alternate schedule where at least one of the key personnel is on site.

22 PWS 28-31 NA Can we get a copy of the attachments in the document?

Attachment have been deleted. Any pertinent document referenced are incorporated in the updated PWS with the draft RFP.

23 PWS 15 5.1 In the government estimated FTE counts in the table in section 5.1 on page 15.

Did the government include the Site Manager, Lead Coder, and Lead Auditor or are those additional positions?

Are the five embedded coders from 5.1.2 part of the coding staff estimate the government provided for the monthly production in section 5.1 on page 15?

Site Manager and Deputy Site Manager are additional position (FTEs). Lead Coder and Lead Auditor responsibilites are additional duties that can be delegated to a contractor personnel performing work under this contract.

24 PWS 15 5.1 Can you clarify what you mean by “Schedule of Services” in the Coder Requirements?

PWS has been revised to specifically identify the Schedule of Services table.

25 PWS 17 5.1.2 We want to clarify the sentence “Contractor shall have an onsite coder embedded in each department (DMS, DSS, DBH, DCS, DDS) within the facility. The embedded coder would be specialized in the coding encounters within that department”

Are these embedded onsite contractors required to work onsite 5 days a week or can they be hybrid or remote and be onsite for training sessions?

This requirement authorizes telework arrangments. The Government will require medical coders other than the key personnel to be available on-site.

PARA. NO ISSUE / COMMENT QUESTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

26 PWS Labor Category and FTE Alignment: The draft outlines substantial FTE requirements, particularly for Outpatient Coders. We recommend that the final RFP provide additional clarity on the expected distribution of workload across various coding disciplines. We seek more detailed expectations for each labor category to ensure our staffing solutions are precisely aligned with WRNMMC requirements. This information will help ensure that our staffing solutions are precisely tailored to meet WRNMMC's needs.

The requirement is FTE based except for transcription services. The average monthly and annually encounters are for informational purposes.

27 PWS Volume of Work for Transcription Services: Given the high volume of transcription services indicated by the 200,000 units against a single FTE, we suggest that the government consider outlining expected transcription volume per medical specialty or department. A breakdown of expected transcription volumes by department would enable us to allocate resources more effectively. This will allow us to better assess the resource allocation required to meet service standards.

Transcription Services is not FTE based. Price Proposal Worksheet has been updated to remove FTE reference. The scope for transcription services is provided in PWS 5.7.2.

28 Pricing Worksheet

Full Burden Labor Rate (FBLR): Our pricing strategy is geared towards providing the best value while upholding the highest standards of quality and efficiency. We believe that a discussion on the benchmarking of FBLR rates would be beneficial to all parties, ensuring that the proposed rates are competitive and reflective of the complexity of services provided.

This requirement anticipates adequate competition where the government expects proposed rates to be competitive

29 PWS Technology and Infrastructure: We would appreciate further information on the specific government-furnished equipment and systems that will be provided. Understanding these details will enable us to integrate our technology solutions seamlessly with the government's infrastructure.

Please see Part 3 of the PWS.

30 PWS Quality Assurance and Compliance: We recommend that the final RFP include detailed quality benchmarks and compliance metrics that contractors will be expected to meet.

Quality Benchmarks are those from the MHS Coding Guidelines provided by the DHA

31 PWS Staffing Plan and Continuity: We encourage the final solicitation to address contractor turnover rates and continuity of care to ensure uninterrupted service delivery to WRNMMC.

Please see RFP Addendum 52.212-2 paragraph 3.2, Subfactor 2: Workforce Management Approach.

PARA. NO ISSUE / COMMENT QUESTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

32 SF1449 Tribal 8(a) Sole Source: In addition, in anticipation of the final solicitation, we propose considering this work for an 8(a) Sole-Source award to fulfill the SDB contracting goals for FY2024. This approach would leverage our experience and capabilities to meet the mission objectives efficiently and effectively.

Will take into consideration.

33 RFP 72 2.3.4 Please confirm that if after 1 or more Offerors pass the Technical Acceptability rating with an Acceptable rating but only one Offeror is rated for Past Performance with “Substantial Confidence”, they will be awarded the contract REGARDLESS of how high their price. If so, was this the government’s intention?

2.3.4 of FAR 52.212-2 Addendum has been revised.

34 RFP,

Performance Evaluation (Factor 2: Past Performance), Relevancy

73-75 3.1.2.1 and 4.3.2

We would request the government reconsider its rating approach to both Management and Past Performance Relevancy and remove the specific requirement for “medical” transcription, “medical” coding services, for “teaching hospitals”, or “for DoD hospitals”. We believe these constraints are unduly restrictive and preclude qualified contractors from competing.

RFP 3.1.2.1 and 4.3.2 is revised to remove restrictive language.

35 PWS, Part 7 Attachment 2, 32 "Day Surgery" is in this list. It is not covered in price file. Please clarify where this is priced. PWS and Attachment 2 has been revised to align

36 PWS, Part 7 Attachment 2, 32 "APV Coder" is in the price list but not in the PWS. Please clarify volumes similar to other types in Part 7, Attachment 2. Also note that APV is not defined anywhere, but we assume it means Ambulatory Procedure Visit. Please clarify if this is incorrect.

PWS is revised to remove APV Coder.

37 Attachment 5, Price Proposal Workbook;

RFP, Schedule B

11 Transcription line item specifies 1 FTE in the pricing sheet. However, Schedule B states EACH.

Please clarify that the offeror is the price EACH transcription rather than a labor hour.

Transcription services requirement is not FTE based. It is at the contractor's discretion how many FTEs or other solution it would require to meet the the transcription volume required in the PWS. The Price Proposal Workbook is revised.

38 RFP and PWS 69, 18 RFP 9.1.2;

PWS 5.1.3

The RFP states that all positions must be filled within 30 days of award (page 69). The PWS requires credentialing packages and qualifications for each coder within 7 days of award (PWS 5.1.3).

Please confirm if we have 30 days to complete the staffing.

Contractor will be given 30 days to after award to fill the positions. PWS language has been revised.

PARA. NO ISSUE / COMMENT QUESTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

39 PWS, Other Task. 6th and 8th bullets

26 The PWS states “- Disaster Support. The vendor shall provide, at no additional cost to the Government, increased medical transcription services, as required by increased patient census, when requested by WRNMMC through the Contracting Officer and the COR. Disaster support may be requested as a result of mass casualty and rescue operation, civil disturbances, natural disasters, or military contingency operations. “

Please clarify the intent of this statement. It seems to imply that service requirements might increase with no ability to bill for these services.

PWS, Other Task, has been revised.

40 PWS,

Transcription Services and Pricing File

24-25 The pricing for transcription appears to be one bulk 200,000 unit price. However, we cannot determine what a level of effort is for each transcription based on the high level overview provide.

Please provide the average number of lines or characters per transcription.

Please refer to PWS para. 5.7.2 for average number of characters per line.

41 RFP Is it too late to participate in this upcoming bid? The RFP has not been released yet. All interested vendors are still able to participate.

42 RFP Do I need to be registered with Sams to participate?

Vendors are encouraged to be registered in SAMS prior to award of contract.

43 RFP Is this a recompete or a new requirement. If this is a recompete, what is the current contract number and who is the incumbent?

This is a recompete. The current contract number is HT001423C0005. The incumbent is Integrated Management Strategies, LLC.

44 RFP 80 Highly Relevant: Past performance effort involved in recruiting, qualifying, managing, and retaining medical coders workforce with appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities required to support: 45 or more FTEs and provided medical transcription service; contract value of $5M or more per year; DoD hospitals or equivalent (federal)

We note that the government has expanded the definition for the “Highly Relevant” past performance relevancy rating through the recent amendment. However, this requirement is still highly restrictive given the rarity of federal contracts in the last three years that meet all of the criteria – publicly available information indicates that even the incumbent contract for this opportunity would not be deemed “Highly Relevant”. We strongly encourage the government to broaden the relevancy definition to include non-federal organizations, and/or reduce the dollar and FTE threshold to better reflect comparable requirements in DoD, VA, and other large, complex civilian healthcare organizations across the country.

Addendum to FAR 52.212-2 paragraph 4.3.1 and Table 3 has been updated. Note that all recent and relevant performance records identified (Highly Relevant, Relevant, and Somewhat Relevant) are considered in the overall performance confidence assessment described in paragraph 4.4.

45 PWS 26 5.7.2 In the PWS section 5.7.2 Scope of Work (Page 26), the price is based on a line defined as 78 characters.

Can the government specify whether this is “characters with spaces” or “Visible Black Characters”?

Visible black characters

46 PWS Can the government specify or estimate how much dictation is being or has been historically recorded on magnetic tape?

Currently do not record any dication on magnetic tapes

47 PWS Can the government specify formats of required medical reports?

PDF

PARA. NO ISSUE / COMMENT QUESTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

48 PWS Can the government specify the volume of lines that would be transcribed in each volume category/grouping of encounters noted in the

PWS?

Transcription requirement volume is not based on category/grouping of encounters. Note that transcription volume for this requirement is revised. Please see updated PWS.

49 PWS and

SF1449

The PWS and SF1449 each make reference to both remote and onsite coders; however, PWS 1.4 only makes reference to remote coders. Please clarify whether coders will be remote or both remote and onsite.

Both remote and onsite. There are coders that will work within the clinics and those will be onsite on some days and remote as well (Hybrid)

50 PWS If coders will be both remote and onsite, please project the number of hours of onsite coding that will be required, as that commands premium Coder pay in the marketplace and will need to be factored into offerors’ pricing.

Please refer to PWS paragraph 1.7.4. While 100% telework (remote) is approved, "the Government reserves the right to increase percentage of contractor personnel available on-site."

51 RFP 73 6.7 Is the required sanitized copy exclusive to technical proposal or does this requirement include all three (technical proposal, past performance, and the price proposal).

Technical proposal only

52 RFP Can more than three example of past performance be permitted?

No.