7-1-2015_RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101_Amendment_1_Government_Responses_to_Industry_Questions.pdf

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Question

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

1 General Is a staffing estimate available by labor category or work effort?

No staffing estimate is provided at this time.

General

When did the data get collected and adjudicated? This varies based on program. Please refer to the program websites.

http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives- Patient-Assessment-Instruments/LTCH-Quality- Reporting/index.html http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives- Patient-Assessment-Instruments/Hospice-Quality- Reporting/index.html http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives- Patient-Assessment-Instruments/IRF-Quality- Reporting/index.html

General

How many “providers” (institutions, entities, etc.) are expected to participate in this program during the initial year of the program?

The initial year of the program was 2012. During the initial year of this current contract, we anticipate approximately 1200 IRF units, 450 LTCH units and 4000 hospices.

General

Will this program be responsible for calculating quality measures?

Not for publication, however, the contractor may be asked to calculate the measure independently for verification and for internal utilization.

5 Section & Title:

B.5. Transition Plan and C. 3.

Statement of Work, Transition Plan

Page #: Page 3, “In the event that CMS requires transition services from the Contractor to a successor Contractor, CMS will request a separate technical and business proposal for these services. These services will be incorporated into the contract if applicable.” Page 17, “The Contractor shall submit a transition plan containing……” Please confirm our understanding that a transition plan will not be required under this SOW or priced as part of this proposal.

Section B.5 Transition Services language has been revised to reference the next contract transition. In reference for the current transition from the current incumbent, please utilize the information on Page 17.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

6 C.2, Background and Overview

In reference to the first sentence of the third paragraph, is any part of this work currently being performed by another contractor, and will transition be necessary?

Yes, this work is currently being performed by a contractor and a transition plan will be required.

7 C.2, Background and Overview

In reference to the last sentence of the third paragraph, can CMS share its projections of the number of measures it plans to add to each reporting program in each year of the contract (base and two option years)? This will help us develop an accurate fixed price.

Please refer to each program's website (provided in question 2 above) for a full list of measure adopted for the current payment year and future years. Each year, CMS reviews the measures adopted and available and proposes adoption/removal for public review. The number of measures that could be adopted in the next 3 years cannot be accurately estimated.

8 C.3, Task 2:

Program Education and Communication , a) Develop Provider Communication s

Are ListServs already in place? Will the contractor administer an existing CMS ListServ application, or should our proposal include the costs of ListServ software? If the latter, please provide the estimated number of recipient addresses.

Dedicated listservs are not currently in place for these programs. There are approximately 5,650 providers in the 3 programs. Each provider could have more than 1 contact address.

9 C.3, Task 2:

Program Education and Communication , a) Develop Provider Communication s

Should we assume that all of the provider materials we develop should be in digital format for download from CMS websites or transmission via email, and that we thus should not include printing/reproduction costs?

Most communications will be electronic. While we anticipate that most communications will be electronic, some reproduction could be necessary for any in person trainings.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

10 C.3, Task 2:

Program Education and Communication , b) National conference calls/webinars

Will the contractor use an existing CMS webinar platform (e.g., Webex), or should our proposal include the costs of such a platform? If the latter, please provide the estimated number of participants by program area (IRF, LTCH, Hospice).

We do not anticipate utilizing the CMS webinar platform. we anticipate approximately 1200 IRF units, 450 LTCH units and 4000 hospices

11 C.3, Task 2:

Program Education and Communication , b) National conference calls/webinars

Does CMS desire recordings and transcripts of any teleconferences and webinars? If so, please indicate which: quarterly, annual, both types?

Yes, recordings/transcripts of webinars to providers should be maintained for reference. That would include both quarterly and annual outreaches to providers.

12 C.3, Task 2:

Program Education and Communication , c) Semi-annual reviews of program websites

Please expand upon what CMS desires related to website "mockups." Is this a request for presenting, in visual format, options for modifying the website's user interface (e.g., site architecture, page layout, graphic design)?

Yes, this would include visual presentations and recommendations to CMS for modifying/updating existing or future websites for each program.

13 C.3, Task 2:

Program Education and Communication , d) Maintain program-specific websites

Please confirm that the "Program Specific Websites" are the Hospice, IRF and LTCH portions of cms.gov. Are the Hospice, IRF and LTCH components of QIES also included?

Yes, only the "program Specific Websites' are covered under this task. This does not include any websites related to QIES.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

14 C.3, Task 2:

Program Education and Communication , d) Maintain program-specific websites

Will the contractor have direct access to content management systems to "ensure," "archive," and "post" website content, or will these activities be conducted through coordination with other CMS contractors, as described in the third bullet under subsection c of this Task?

Currently, only CMS staff have access to the content management system for these programs. Should that change, we would anticipate a transition to the contractor.

C.3, Task 4:

Help Desk Support

Please provide an estimate of the volume of annual help desk inquiries that will be the contractor's responsibility, and indicate the types of subject matter expertise that the contractor should have available.

Currently, we receive between 500-750 inquiries per year. More than 80% of those are related to reconsideration requests, which mean they are concentrated in a 4 month period between June and September. The remaining requests are primarily questions regarding reports or compliance.

C.3, Task 4:

Help Desk Support

Are we correct in understanding that help desk questions are asked by providers via a CMS electronic mailbox, that answers are provided through an online question and answer tool, and that there is not a telephonic component?

Can CMS provide the name of the Q&A system that it uses for these reporting programs?

The contractor will be expected to set up a mailbox for questions to be received. Although there is not a requirement for telephonic questions, there are requirements for telephonic outreach. There currently is not an online Q&A system.

C.3, Task 4:

Help Desk Support

Please describe the types of help desk questions related to "program compliance" that the contractor should be prepared to answer, in addition to those about calculation and submission of measure data.

More than 80% of help desk tickets are regarding reconsideration requests, which mean they are concentrated in a 4 month period between June and September. The remaining requests are primarily questions regarding reports or compliance.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

C.3, Task 4:

Help Desk Support

Will the contractor be responsible for help desk inquiries related to areas other than program compliance, such as data submission and validation? Clinical coding, measure definitions, and general quality reporting questions? For other clinical questions? Please indicate which of these topics are handled by other contractors. Are we correct in understanding that CMS will continue to respond to questions about coverage, and CDC will continue to respond to questions about NHSN?

The contractor may be asked many types of questions.

The contractor will be responsible for coordinating with the other help desks for seamless answers to the providers. Clinical / measures related questions will be answered by the measures development contractor.

Technical submission questions will be answered by the QIES support contractor.

19 C.3, Task 4:

Help Desk Support, h) Operational support to mailboxes

Will the contractor have direct access to the CMS-designted 3004 Program Reconsiderations/Exemption/Exception mailboxes, and to any other mailboxes necessary to help desk operations?

Questions submitted to the 3004 Program reconsiderations mailboxes are currently forwarded to the analytics contractor. However, should direct access become available, Program leads will consider allowing the contractor to have access.

20 C.3, Task 5:

Support for Validation of Facilities Quality Data, a) Review clinical information

Are the 500 medical records provided in paper format? Is there a requirement to retain the 500 medical records? If so, for how long?

The 500 records are in an electronic format. The contractor will be required to comply with any retention required under a Data Use Agreement, however, CMS will also maintain the records.

21 C.3, Task 5:

Support for Validation of Facilities Quality Data, b) Data collection plan

Please clarify what is meant by "ability to meet Federal and CMS information security requirements" In the third bullet of this section. Is FISMA compliance required?

Please note section H.5, second paragraph 'The Contractor shall ensure that the following Federal information security standards are met for all of its CMS contracts' the first bullet is FISMA.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

22 C.3.1, Key Personnel Qualifications, E. Clinical Records Reviewer

What education and credentials are required for the Clinical Records Reviewer? Does this need to be a professionally licensed individual?

Please refer to section C.3.1 KEY PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS , Clinical Records Reviewer

C.3.1, Key Personnel Qualifications, E. Clinical Records Reviewer

Will CMS provide the assessment software that is mentioned in the context of clinical records review, or is that the responsibility of the contractor?

Specific software is not mentioned in this section, however types of software could include tools such as jRAVEN, HART, LASER, orjIRVEN, all of which are available free from CMS (https://www.qtso.com/index.php). The clinical records reviewer needs to understand the medical documentation process and how data is submitted to CMS for the 3004 or similar programs.

C, Task 3

Task 3 (a), is there a cost to register for a QualityNet account with CDC?

No. Questioners are encouraged to learn more about QualityNet at https://www.qualitynet.org/.

C, Task 3

Task 3 (a), what is the size of the HAI data from CDC that the contractor will be receiving?

Current data files, monthly and quarterly, are under 1 MG. Future files could be larger as new measures are adopted.

C, Task 3

Task 3 (b), please provide the number of LTCH, IRF and Hospice providers and facilities?

Task 3(b), is this process expected to be done annually or on a more frequent basis?

There are approximately 4,000 Hospice facilities, 450 LTCHs and 1,200 IRFs. Task 3b is an annual process, however, Task 3d refers to continuous monitoring and 3e refers to quarterly monitoring which would mean the contractor needs to combine data at least monthly.

C, Task 3

Task 3 c, what is the number of separate data collection systems that the Contractor will need reconcile quality reporting data?

Task 3 (c), is this reconciliation to be done annually or on a more frequent basis?

Currently, CMS has 3 separate data collection systems for the IRF and LTCH programs. The CDC's NHSN system, the QIES data collection system and claims.

Task 3c is a quarterly requirement, however, Task 3d refers to continuous monitoring and 3e refers to quarterly monitoring which would mean the contractor needs to combine data at least monthly.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

C, Task 9

Task 9, a, for planning purposes, how many business process models should the contractor estimate for Deliverable 32?

Currently, we anticipate creating/maintaining a full set of process flows for each of the 3 programs. That would include the models for each area within that program such as Public Reporting, Data Submission or Annual Payment Updates.

C, Task 9

Task 9, b, for planning purposes, how many reports or other system changes should the contractor estimate for Deliverable 33.

We anticipate creation/updating of no more than 3 reports per program per year.

C, Task 10

Task 10, a, for planning purposes, how many option papers should the Contractor estimate quarterly and annually?

We anticipate no more than 5 per year per program.

Once quarterly and once annually as needed based on the outcomes of the data analysis. It is possible that no options papers will be necessary on a quarterly.

C.1

CMS indicates stakeholder support is required. The reference “other Federal partners” several times in the RFP. Who are the partners?

Partners could include other HHS agencies such at CDC or Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Additionally, Federal Partners could include other agencies that collect and report healthcare quality data such as the Veteran’s Administration.

C.2

Will a full program year of QRP Hospice, IRF and LTCH data will be available for payment reconciliation in the first year? How many measures? Will more be added?

Full years of QPR data has been available for payment determination since 2013. Please refer to each program's website for a full list of measure adopted for the current payment year and future years. Each year, CMS reviews the measures adopted and available and proposes adoption/removal for public review. The number of measures that could be adopted in the next 3 years cannot be accurately estimated.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

Task 2

(a) Who will develop the communication distribution list (CMS or Contractor)? (b) Where are the current websites hosted? At the contractor site?

The contractor, in collaboration with CMS, will develop the communication distribution lists. CMS already has many contacts for our partners and providers, but a comprehensive list will be the responsibility of the contractor. The current websites are hosted at CMS.

There are currently no plans to migrate those websites.

Task 5

If possible, we would like to get further clarification around (c)" sampling methodologies or data element matching algorithms."

CMS anticipates that the contractor will develop and provide statistically valid sampling methodology proposals/options for CMS. The contractor should have expertise in data validation/statistics available for this task.

35 C.3 Statement of Work, Task 2: Program Education and Communication

How many people attend the webinars? This is a new task, so exact numbers cannot be provided. These webinars will support approximately 4,000 hospices, 450 LTCHs and 1,200 IRFs. Although some providers may not attend each webinar, some providers could have more than one attendee.

C.3 Task 2 a) Develop Provider Communication s

Can the government provide an estimate of the number of new measures that will need to be developed each year?

Please refer to each program's website for a full list of measure adopted for the current payment year and future years. Website provided in Question 2 above.

Each year, CMS reviews the measures adopted and available and proposes adoption/removal for public review. The number of measures that could be adopted in the next 3 years cannot be accurately estimated.

37 C.3 Task 2 c) Conduct Semi-annual Reviews of Program Websites

Can the government provide the number and names of the websites requiring semi-annual reviews?

Please refer to the program websites provided in Question 2 above.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

C.3 Statement of Work, Task 4: Help Desk Support

Is there currently a Help Desk in place? If so, what is the current average volume of calls? What are the SLAs currently in place?

Currently, we receive between 500-750 inquiries per year. More than 80% of those are related to reconsideration requests, which mean they are concentrated in a 4 month period between June and September. The remaining requests are primarily questions regarding reports or compliance. No SLAs are in place.

C.3 Statement of Work, Task 4: Help Desk Support

When does the problem escalate from Tier 1 to Tier 2? There is no mention of Tier 1 and Tier 2 in the request for proposal. The contractor will be responsible for coordinating with the other help desks for seamless answers to the providers. Clinical / measures related questions will be answered by the measures development contractor. Technical submission questions will be answered by the QIES support contractor.

40 C.3 Statement of Work, Task 4: Help Desk Support

How many FTEs are needed for the Help Desk? FTE should be based on the contractor technical approach

C.3 Statement of Work, Task 4: Help Desk Support

Who are the other Help Desks that SMEs will be working closely with?

The contractor will be responsible for coordinating with the other help desks for seamless answers to the providers. Clinical / measures related questions will be answered by the measures development contractor.

Technical submission questions will be answered by the QIES support contractor.

42 C.3 Task 6 b) Create and edit presentations

Can the government provide the number of presentations that need to be created each year? Are the presentations live/face-to-face, hard copy, on line or video?

As noted in the statement of deliverables, # 27, Maximum of 12 annually

43 C.3.1 Key Personnel

Can the government provide education, certification, and technical specifications and requirements for the key personnel staff?

Please see section C.3.1 KEY PERSONNEL

QUALIFICATIONS

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

C

Where are the data ingest and analysis activities conducted under this contract hosted? Is the IRF/LTCH contractor responsible for all hosting and the related tools?

The contractor is responsible for hosting analysis activities and tools.

45 C.3, Task 5:

Support for Validation of Facilities Quality Data

Is the IRF/LTCH contractor responsible for developing, hosting, and maintaining this website?

No

46 Task 2(a) – Develop Provider Communication s

Must all materials created and distributed under Task 2 be in a 508 compliant format or only those items distributed under ListServ support?

All content under Task 2b should be in a 508 compliant format.

47 Task 2(b) - Arrange, facilitate, and conduct quarterly National conference calls/webinars.

Is there a timeline to follow for planning and executing the quarterly and annual National conference calls that defines when during the calendar year calls are scheduled and when in advance of the calls notifications and materials are to be distributed?

Annual calls, (NPRM and the Final Rule) will follow the rulemaking schedule for each program. Currently, all 3 programs are on a similar schedule with NPRMs released in early Spring and Final rules released mid-summer. Timing of quarterly calls can be discussed at the kick off meeting with each program lead.

48 Task 2(d) - Maintain the Program Specific Websites for each program including

Are the program specific websites currently maintained on the CMS infrastructure?

Yes, these websites are on the CMS infrastructure.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

49 Task 2(d) - Maintain the Program Specific Websites for each program including

Is it the responsibility of the contractor to directly maintain the program specific websites or does the contractor coordinate implementation of changes with another entity?

Currently, only CMS staff have access to the content management system for these programs. Should that change, we would anticipate a transition to the contractor.

C3; Task 2:

Program Education and Communication ; b, c, d

Are the annual calls to review the Proposed Rule and Final Rule in addition to the quarterly calls by program?

For example, would the Support Contractor provide six IRFQR Program calls annually – four educational calls and two rulemaking calls? If so, this schedule indicates that the Support Contractor would be responsible for 18 calls and supporting materials for each.

Yes, according to Deliverable #10 in the statement of deliverables "Quarterly Status calls and Annual calls for both the NPRM and Final rule for each program (6 calls for each setting annually/18 total calls annually)"

51 C3; Task 2:

Program Education and Communication ; b, c, d

Can the Support Contractor use the QualityNet ListServe platform, or is another platform to be used?

No platform is specified in the request for proposal, however, providers under these programs do not utilize QualityNet and will likely not have qualitynet accounts.

The contractor is expected to provide a Listserv platform.

52 C3; Task 2:

Program Education and Communication ; b, c, d

Does CMS anticipate moving the program-specific website content to https://www.qualitynet.org? If so, has CMS identified the anticipated timeline?

No, CMS is not anticipating migrating these programs to qualitynet.org.

53 C3; Task 2:

Program Education and Communication ; b, c, d

Is the Support Contractor to develop an additional website to support these programs?

There is no requirement for an additional website.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

54 C.3; Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs; a and f

Will the CDC share its data regarding which facilities are enrolled or are in the process of enrollment with the NHSN, or will the Support Contractor get access to those data through a DUA?

The support contractor, via a DUA, will be able to access aggregate data for facilities that have agreed to share data with CMS.

55 C.3, Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs; c

Will the support contractor be responsible for maintaining the database of current and historical reconciled data (e.g., CDC and LTCH/RF assessment instruments)?

Yes

56 C.3; Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs; c

Does CMS anticipate eventually housing the reconciled program-collected data in the CMS Clinical Warehouse?

Data is warehoused at CMS, however, in order for the contractor to complete that analysis required, they will need to house the data.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

57 C.3; Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs; f

The RFP states: “Facilities not meeting assessments or NSHN requirements are to be contacted directly … if incomplete data submission is detected.” 1. Is this contact by phone or email blasts? 2. What is the estimated volume of facilities that do not meet their requirements each quarter?

The RFP does not specify, however it is the intent of the Task that the contractor contact the individual facility.

For some facilities, an email may suffice; others may require a phone call. We anticipate that the contractor will utilize both email and telephonic outreach as necessary. CMS is unable to estimate the volume of quarterly outreaches at this time.

58 C.3; Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs; f

The RFP states, “No outreach is required for facilities that request not to be contacted.” 1. How do facilities opt out of the notification process? 2. Can they opt out at any point during the year? 3. How is the contractor notified of facilities that have opted out?

If, when the contractor contacts the facility, they express desire not to be contacted, the contractor will document the discussion and keep track of those providers.

59 C.3; Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs; g

For Deliverable 17: APU lists every quarter, does this include posting to the QIES website and submitting a TDL letter along with briefing paper.

No, this quarterly list is strictly for monitoring purposes.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

60 C.3; Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs; h

For Deliverable 18, weekly communication tracking log to the validation contractor and COR, is this referencing the call logs pertaining to the appeals or to ALL call logs and the Appeal contractor will sort the data?

Deliverable 18 references the reconsideration contractor not a validation contractor. The support contractor is expected to provide all communications regarding each specific reconsideration request. Only the calls pertaining to the specific case would be included, along with 'any additional documentation the reconsideration contractor may need in order to make well informed decisions regarding reconsideration requests'.

61 C.3; Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs

Will the SC supply all APU lists to CMS and post on website, or will the Appeal contractor supply lists for those going through the reconsideration process?

The support contractor will be responsible to provide all APU lists.

C.3; Task 4:

Help Desk Support

The RFP states that the contractor is required to maintain a Help Desk for questions. 1. Is the contractor requested to provide a phone support line, or are the inquires received by email only or via email Q&A Tool? 2. What Q&A database is utilized for the questions received? Are all responses required to be reviewed by CMS? 3. Can the Support Contractor use the RightNow tool in QualityNet for this function? 4.What is the expected volume of inquires per program on a monthly basis? 5. Is the contractor expected to answer the measure specific questions, or is this the responsibility of the measures stewards or other CMS contractors?

1) Currently the questions are received via email. The contractor should propose a solution that they believe is the best solution for the government. 2) No specific database is currently utilized. Solutions for help desk ticket tracking are up to the contractor. 3) No, neither the Right Now tool nor QualityNet for providers can be utilized for these programs. 4) Currently, we receive between 500-750 inquiries per year. More than 80% of those are related to reconsideration requests, which mean they are concentrated in a 4 month period between June and September. 5) The measure specific questions should be coordinated with the measures development contractor for each program.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

63 C.3; Task 4:

Help Desk Support; h

The RFP states that the contractor will support the reconsideration/exemption/exception mailboxes questions. Are these received through the QualityNet Secure Portal?

No. These mailboxes are referenced on the reconsideration pages of each programs website.

C.3; Task 5:

Validation of Facilities Quality Data

1. Is the validation of the 500 records annually inclusive of all three programs, or is it 500 per program? 2. How many data elements are abstracted/validated per program type during the validation process? 3. Historically, what is the average time to abstract each data element? 4. How are the validation records selected and requested? Does the contractor need to send out the request for records? 5.

Is the contractor responsible for any reimbursement to the facility for medical record copy and mailing costs? 6.

How long does the contractor need to retain and store the medical records that were validated? 7. Is the validation does through an electronic or paper tool?

1. The 500 is the total of the records for all programs reviewed. 2. Currently there are 9-11 data elements and 3-5 administrative elements, however, as measures are added, those numbers could increase. 3. Average time is not currently known. 4. The contractor is not involved in the selection or requesting the records, the records will be delivered via secure electronic media. 5. The contractor is not responsible for any reimbursement. 6.

CMS will have an electronic copy of the medical record, so the contractor need only store the records for the length of the project. 7. The validation is electronic.

C.3, Task 5:

Validation of Facilities Quality Data

CMS references the requirement of the support contractor to perform validation of medical records (paragraph a) and data matching (paragraph e); however, CMS also references working with the validation contractor (paragraph d) to assist with tracking and implementing the validation process. Can CMS please clarify the delineation of responsibilities between the support contractor and the validation contractor?

Initially, the contractor will only be responsible for the data element matching of the 500 electronic medical records. Then, as described in 5b, utilizing the results of 5a to propose validation strategies for CMS to utilize.

Should CMS propose/adopt validation for these programs, the support contractor would work with a validation contractor to perform the tasks in 5d.

66 C.3, Task 5:

Validation of Facilities Quality Data

Are there educational reviews done in coordination with the validation contractor? Or is the validation contractor to perform this task?

There is no mention of educational reviews in the RFP.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

67 C3; Task 6:

Internal and External Communication s; a

For Task 6a, how often will the contractor be required to inform CMS of external activities?

As defined in the statement of deliverables, deliverable # 26, the contractor will report on internal and external communications monthly

68 C3; Task 6:

Internal and External Communication s; b

Will the training presentations be geared to other CMS contractors or outside stakeholders, such as associations?

2. Since Deliverable 27 is a presentation, will this deliverable be negotiated with the COR if no presentation is required during a specified year?

We anticipate that these presentations will be geared to either providers, public, stakeholders or other government agencies. Deliverable 27 anticipates up to 12 presentations per year. CMS anticipates utilizing at least one presentation annually.

C.3, Task 7, d

Does CMS anticipate that the program-specific data will be published on Hospital Compare or another public reporting compare site (e.g., Hospice Compare and IRF Compare)? If so, when is the anticipated start date?

CMS has proposed policy for public reporting in both the IRF and LTCH notices of Proposed Rulemaking.

During the public comment period, CMS is not able to provide any additional comment.

70 C3; Task 12:

Quality Measures Data Element Specifications Support; a

Is the Support Contractor to develop/maintain a Specifications Manual for each program? 2. If so, is there a publication schedule for these manuals?

No specifications manual is referenced in the NPRM.

Currently measures specifications manuals are created and maintained by the measures development contractor under a different contract vehicle.

Transition Plan

Is there or are there incumbents currently performing support services comparable to the services being requested under RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) or Long Term Care Facility (LTCH) or Hospice Quality Reporting Programs Analytics, Outreach, and Support Data Analysis? If so, who are the incumbents and will there be a transition-in period of performance required of the incumbent(s) to the new contractor?

Yes there is an incumbent contractor. The current contractor is HCIS. CMS is anticipating a 30 day transition from the incumbent to the new contractor.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

72 C.3.1 Key Personnel Qualifications

Does the government have any established minimum requirements outside of the qualifications listed for the Key Personnel listed in C.3.1?

No

73 C. 3., Task 1:

Task Management,

b) Project Work Plan and Reporting

As this is a FFP type contract, every month’s funds expended to date only fluctuate by the FFP amount billed every month. Please confirm our understanding this will not be required for the FFP contract.

Correct. Since this contract will be a FFP, the billing amount will be a fixed amount each month of the period of performance.

74 C. 3., Task 2:

Program Education and Communication , a) Develop Provider Communication s

As this is a FFP type contract, can CMS please provide the proposed future quality measures to be implemented in 2017 for payment year 2019?

Please refer to each program's website for a full list of measure adopted for the current payment year and future years (see Question 2 above for the wesbites).

Each year, CMS reviews the measures adopted and available and proposes adoption/removal for public review. The number of measures that could be adopted in the next 3 years cannot be accurately estimated.

75 C. 3. , Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs

Can CMS provide a LOE for these additional tasks as this is a FFP contract?

CMS is not providing a LOE for these additional tasks.

76 C. 3. S, Task 5:

Support for Validation of Facilities Quality Data

Is the hosting and development of the public reporting website for the 3004 QRP programs part of this statement of work?

The current websites are hosted at CMS. There are currently no plans to migrate those websites.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

77 C. 3. , Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs, f)

What is the source of record for tracking whether facilities have requested not to be contacted?

If, when the contractor contacts the facility, they express desire not to be contacted, the contractor will document the discussion and keep track of those providers. The contractor will be responsible for the tracking source.

78 C. 3., Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs, g)

Are there any requirements, for the tool described, in regards to accessibility or hosting location?

The tool must allow CMS to view determinations. So software must be compatible to CMS business software.

The tool could be as simple as a spreadsheet.

C. 3., Task 5:

Support for Validation of Facilities Quality Data

“The 3004 QRP programs are intended to equip consumers with quality of care information to make more informed decisions about their health care. It is also intended to encourage facilities and clinicians to improve the quality of care provided to all patients. The data collected via the 3004 QRP programs will be reported to the public on a website similar to Hospital Compare. In order to ensure the data provided to the public is as useful as possible, CMS intends to validate the data.”

Question: Is this website described part of Task 7?

The quote referenced is under Task 5 and explains why data validation is necessary. Although Task 7 doesn't specifically mention a website, data that are collected under 3004 QRPs will be reported to the public on a website similar to Hospital Compare as noted in rulemaking. Support for publishing that data is described in Task 7. However, creation of the website is not mentioned or referenced in this RFP.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

80 C. 3., d. Task 7:

Support for Data Collection;

Public Reporting and Rule Writing, b)

Could the government describe the environments for the existing public reporting development environments?

The contractor will not be developing public reporting websites or working within the development environment. The contractor will support CMS with decision making/advice and technical expertise regarding presentation and the data utilized for public reporting.

C.3, Task 4:

Help Desk Support

What is the expected resolution time for a Help Desk ticket or issue?

According to page 11 "Ninety-five percent of public questions shall be answered and submitted to CMS for approval within 5 business days following receipt unless forwarded to another, appropriate party or as otherwise directed; questions that require forwarding to another party shall be forwarded within 5 business days.

Problems and significant issues must be reported as soon as possible to the COR."

82 C.3, Task 5:

Support for Validation of Facilities Quality Data, Paragraph a

Will the 500 medical records reviewed annually be for the 3 programs (IRF, LTCH and Hospice) in total or is the 500 medical records reviewed for each program for a total of 1500 medical records annually?

A total of approximately 500 records annually.

83 C.3, Task 5:

Support for Validation of Facilities Quality Data

What date range will the validation methodologies cover (e.g. prior 6 months or prior year)? Are we validating measures from FY2015 only in year 1 and then progressing to the other years?

Validation methodologies could cover any time period.

The contractor should develop and provide statistically valid sampling methodology proposals/options for CMS. The contractor should have expertise in data validation/statistics available for this task.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

C.3, Task 5:

Support for Validation of Facilities Quality Data

We understand that the National Quality Forum endorsed measures will be validated as part of Task 5. Will all of the identified quality measures for each of the three programs be validated or only measures based on patient assessment like the infection and pressure ulcers outcomes? Are we to validate measures specific to facility staff?

Currently there are 9-11 data elements and 3-5 administrative elements, however, as measures are added, those numbers could increase.

85 C.3, Task 5:

Support for Validation of Facilities Quality Data

Can CMS please better define the assessment warehouse? In response to this question, the language was changed from 'entire assessment warehouse' to 'data submitted to the programs'. The intent of this language is for the contractor to propose validation strategies.

C.3, Task 10:

Data Analyses

What type of data will be analyzed for this task? Will the data be provided by CMS?

We refer the questioner to the individual program websites to see the types of data collected for each program. The primary data are assessment data, Item set data, claims data and NHSN data. The contractor will need to obtain a DUA with CMS to access the data.

87 C.3, Task 10:

Data Analyses

Who will provide the data described in this task? The contractor will need to obtain a DUA with CMS to access the data.

C.3, Task 10:

Data Analyses

Will analyses only cover the 3004 QRP? Yes. The 3 programs covered under 3004. While comparisons to other programs could be necessary, we do not expect the contractor to pull/store data from other programs.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

C.3, Task 10:

Data Analyses

In order to make a more accurate level of effort estimate for this Fixed Price contract, can the Government please provide more detail about the ad hoc analyses described in Task 10, including the expected scope of these analyses and the types of reports or deliverables expected from them?

CMS cannot be specific about what analysis needs may become necessary in future years. We anticipate that the contractor will provide an options paper or summary of the analysis requested within a timeframe negotiated at the time of need. Historically, some types of ad hoc analysis involved compliance rates with a particular data element, analysis of seasonal submission trends or matching of discharge assessments to admission assessments within a particular timeframe.

90 C.3, Task 10:

Data Analyses

Does this refer or imply 20 options papers/reports or 20 statistical tests?

This would mean 20 analysis with options/data summary papers regarding the outcome of the analysis.

91 C.3, Task 3:

Determining Payment Status for LTCH, IRF, and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs

Page #: 8, states “In order to assist CMS in determining compliance with, the Contractor shall …” Question: The first part of this sentence seems incomplete. Can the Government please specify what the Contractor shall determine compliance with?

8a should say "a) Register for, obtain an account in QualityNet, and work with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to receive scheduled HAI reports.' There should be a bullet that says 'within 60 days of the contract award. This language has been corrected.

Section H.1 “Organizational Conflict of Interest”

Will the agency consider it to be a conflict of interest for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Long Term Care Facility (LTCH), and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs Analytics, Outreach, and Support Data Analysis contractor to also serve as a PSC, ZPIC or UPIC contractor?

At this time, CMS does not see any COI but reserve the right to review and request additional information if a potential COI becomes apparent.

93 L.2.(f) Contract Award

Please confirm whether this contract will be a single or multiple award contract.

This contract will be a single award.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

94 L.12.G Past Performance Information & L.14.C.5 Past Performance

Does the government have a minimum and/or maximum number of past performance references required?

A minimum of 3 Past Performance references would be sufficient. There is no maximum.

95 L.13.B Page Size, Typing, Spacing, and Page Numbering & L.14.C Volume 1 Technical Proposal Organization and Content

In Section L.13.B (pg. 102) The RFP states “The page limitation for the technical proposal is 80 single sided pages or 40 double sided pages” while Section L.14.C

(pg. 105) states: “The Technical proposal is limited to a maximum of 40 single-sided pages or 20 double-sided pages” Please confirm whether the page limit of the technical proposal is 80 single-sided pages (40 double-sided pages) or 40 single-sided pages (20 double-sided pages).

The language has been revised to read for the Technical Proposal the maximum page limitation is 40 single-sided or 20 double-sided pages.

L.14.D Volume 2 Business Proposal Organization and Content

“The Offeror, at a minimum, must submit a cost proposal fully supported by cost and pricing data, in sufficient detail to allow a complete cost realism analysis that establishes the reasonableness of the proposed costs. In the event that spreadsheets are used for the business proposal, the Offeror shall include an electronic version of the spreadsheet on a CD using Excel.” Will the government please provide an Excel template for Offerors to complete?

We are not providing an Excel template.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

97 L.14.D Volume 2 Business Proposal Organization and Content & M.2.B Business Proposal Evaluation

Requirements for the Business Proposal in L.14.D and M.2.B refer to pricing case reviews, however case reviews are not mentioned in the statement of work. Please identify what the government means by case reviews.

Referencing “case reviews” is an error. Please see the revised language in the attached revised RFP document.

L.14 D Tab 6 Travel

Would the government consider having travel costs submitted on a Not to Exceed (NTE) basis due to the variable nature of the cost? If not, can the government provide historical travel costs or provide an estimate of number of trips and travel destinations?

Due to the competitive nature of this procurement, CMS is giving all Offerors the ability to present travel costs and rationale that would support this effort. CMS will determine the reasonableness of each cost element and negotiate the proposed travel cost(s) based on the technical requirements of the solicitation.

L.14.C, Past Performance

There is no requirement for Past Performance Questionnaires in this section yet a Questionnaire is included in J.7. Please provide further detail around the Past Performance Questionnaire.

Past Performance Questionnaires are provided for convenience for offerors to use to provide references especially if there is no CPARS records available. They are not requirement but highly recommended.

100 L.14.C, Past Performance

There is no required number of past performance references given. Please confirm that 3 past performance references will suffice.

Yes, 3 Past Performance reference is sufficient.

L.14.3.a Tab C:

Appendix – Code of Business Ethics and Conduct Attestation and Disclosure

Does CMS want the information provided on attachment J.5? This is not detailed in the RFP i.e. these 3 items: 1.

(Insert Offeror/Company Name) has a written Code of Business Ethics and Conduct in place or will have it in place within 30 days of contract award. 2. (Insert Offeror/Company Name) has a compliance officer. 3.

(Insert Offeror/Company Name) has a process to receive ethics and compliance-related complaints that permits anonymous reporting, including a fraud hotline poster, per

FAR 52.203-14.

Yes – Attachment J.5 must be included in the proposal submission. It can be included as an appendix to the Conflict of Interest Proposal.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

L.8, K.2

Section L indicates a size standard of $14M while Section K indicates a size standard of $15M. Can the Government please clarify the correct size standard for this procurement?

The small business size standard is $15 million. Section L.8 has been corrected in the attached revised RFP.

General

Can CMS please confirm that proposals must be received on or before Wednesday, July 15?

Correct – Proposals must be received on or before 11am local prevailing (Baltimore, MD) time, Wednesday, July 15, 2015.

General

The RFP states, “CMS will access the CPARS for all relevant CMS performance history, if available.”

Attachment J.7, Past Performance Questionnaire, includes a sample cover letter and the questionnaire that should be submitted to each reference, but no instructions are provided. Are Past Performance Questionnaires required for contracts for which CPARS exist? What is the deadline for providing the Past Performance Questionnaires to CMS?

Past Performance Questionnaires are not required but highly recommended. The form is provided for offerors convenience. The deadline for the Past Performance Questionnaires is the same deadline as the proposals.

General

Will the Government consider allowing 11x17 foldouts in the response provided that each foldout counts as 2 pages toward the overall page count and that a limit in the number of foldouts is exercised?

No.

106 J-3 Information Security Attestation

Can the government please confirm where Attachment J-3 should be included in the proposal?

Attachment J-3 can be included as an appendix in the Technical Proposal.

RFP-CMS-2015-8A-0101 Amendment Number 1 Industry Questions CMS Responses July 1, 2015

Section Name Question Received CMS Response/Comment

J-4

Attachment J.4 requests information concerning CMS datasets the respondent anticipates using. Analysis of administrative data can be very helpful in understanding the applicability of proposed measures in terms of prevalence and incidence of clinical scenarios applicable to individual measures. Does CMS anticipate the contractor using applicable datasets in analyzing or verifying the applicability of measures submitted by measure owners or stewards?

CMS does not anticipate this contractor providing any analysis of measures other than the measures utilized by the programs as defined in the SOW.

108 Attachment 3, Conflict of Interest Proposal Instructions, Tab A:

Organizational Conflict of Interest – Summary List of Contracts

May a subcontractor send the Organizational Conflict of Interest summary list of contracts directly to CMS in sealed package?

Yes, subcontractors may submit…