Questions_and_Responses_Medical_Records_Auditor_and_Medical_Records_Coders.docx

Questions and Answers Request for Quotation (RFQ) Solicitation No.: W81K02-18-Q-0022 Medical Records Auditor and Medical Records Coder Services

Closing date: September 01 2018 at 12:00 PM (PST) All questions must be received in writing by: August 25, 2018 at 12:00 PM (PST)

1) Is this a new requirement?

Response: Yes.

2) Who is the incumbent?

Response: There is no incumbent. As noted in response to question 1 above, this is a new requirement.

3) Will this be a Service Contract Act (SCA) requirement?

Response: Yes. The medical Records Coders are under wage determination, (Medical Records Technicians).

4) Will the eight (8) coders and one (1) auditor be required to work at the customer’s location? OR, will it be permissible/possible to do the work remotely (contractor’s location)?

Response: This information can be found in paragraph 1.1. of the performance work statement. The services are to be provided on-site at the customer's location, Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC), Tacoma, WA.

5) Will it be a requirement to submit personnel resumes with the bid submission?

Response: No. We are not asking for the submission of resumes with the bids. The items that must be returned to the contracting office are outlined in the Instructions to offerors contained within the solicitation (FAR 52.212-1)

6) What EHR system, Genesis or AHLTA, will be utilized?

Response: MHS Genesis, and CCE

7) The pre-solicitation states services are needed for eight full-time Medical Records Coders. Please specify the coding expertise required and the number of coders for each specialty:

Response: *Outpatient Clinic Coder

8) Will a draft SOW be released prior to the actual RFP? If so, is there an estimated timeframe?

Response: No. A draft Statement of Work/ Performance Work Statement will not be released prior to the solicitation.

9) Will this requirement be affected by the potential roll-up of services to the DHA?

Response: Medical coding and auditing at the MTF level will not be affected by the roll-up to DHA.

10) How many past performance questionnaires are required?

RESPONSE: This information can be found in the instructions to offerors contained within the solicitation (see 522.212-1 Instructions to Offerors). See the table on page70 of the solicitation.

11) Are both the position of the Coder and Auditor subject to the Department of Labor Service Contract Act (SCA)?

RESPONSE: See the attached Wage Determination Document that was posted with the solicitation (attachment 4). Additionally, this information is addressed in the Instructions to Offerors information contained within the solicitation. See 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors contained within the solicitation. Also, see the response to question #3 above.

12) The solicitation has two different benefits spreadsheets. Are we to only send one depending on how we propose the labor structure?

RESPONSE: That is correct, there are two different compensation plans. The specialties are listed on each spreadsheet. Additional Information can be found in 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors contained within the solicitation.

13) PWS, pg. 38, Section 3.1.2 requires the contractor to maintain internal coding compliance teams. Will members of this team be required onsite at the government work location during the life of the contract?

RESPONSE: Pending response from the end-user.

14) PWS, p.g 38, Section 3.2.1.2. May the contractor representative meet with the COR via teleconference or other electronic means, or are face to face meeting required?

RESPONSE:

15) PWS, pg. 41, Section 3.5

RESPONSE:

a. Orientation and Training. Is annual CEU/training billable to the government under this contract?

RESPONSE: No. This is at the contractor or the Contract Provider's (CP) expense.

b. Are coding reference guides/books provided by the government for each coder or auditor? Or, is this a contractor responsibility?

RESPONSE: Pending response from the end-user.

16) Instructions to Offerors, p. 70, Item #6. Are pdf file formats allowable for document submission (for example, when a document requires a signature)?

RESPONSE: Yes. So long as they are readable by the Government. As noted in #6, "The Government will not be responsible for any failure of transmission or receipt of the proposal, or any failure of the Offeror to verify receipt of the emailed proposal."

17) Past Performance Information Collection Sheet. This sheet states that it must be returned by 22 August 2018 @ 12 pm PST. However, the proposal submission due date is 1 Sept 2018 @ 12 pm PST. We request that the collection sheets be due at the same time as proposal submission to enable our clients more time to complete and submit.

RESPONSE: The response date for past performance questionnaires will remain as noted on the Past Performance Questionnaires. The Government has a lot of work on their end that must be done in reference to the evaluation of past performance; hence, this takes time and the past performance questionnaires are required earlier.

18). Instructions to Offerors, p. 71 – table, item A.2 requires that offerors confirm that the candidates submitted will meet or exceed the requirements in paragraph 5 of the PWS. Can the government clarify what is required to confirm candidate’s requirements, for example, resumes and/or letters of intent? If resumes and letters of intent are required, please consider increasing the page limit for the technical volume or excluding these items from the page count.

RESPONSE: A statement that all candidates submitted will meet or exceed the requirements and qualification as outlined in the PWS will suffice. We are not requesting resumes and letters of intent. The page limit for this volume will not be increased.

19) PWS, pg. 38, Section 3.1.2 requires the contractor to maintain internal coding compliance teams. Will members of this team be required onsite at the government work location during the life of the contract?

RESPONSE: the internal review teams will be internal. Our coding auditor will review for compliance by conducting audits.

20) Are coding reference guides/books provided by the government for each coder or auditor? Or, is this a contractor responsibility?

RESPONSE: Coding books and guides need to be provided by the contractor. The government will not provide these resources.

21) PWS, p.g 38, Section 3.2.1.2. May the contractor representative meet with the COR via teleconference or other electronic means, or are face to face meeting required?

RESPONSE: Yes alternative means are acceptable. It just depends on what the Government is requesting. Typically, things are handled via teleconference, email, and provided no major issues face to face may or may not be required.

16 August 2018

22) PWS Under section 5.2. Position Title: Coding Auditor (CA), will the government consider a candidate that has only a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) Certificate, a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) Certificate, or Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) Certificate without possessing the Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA) certification?

RESPONSE: No, the request is for Certified Professional Medical Auditor. The RHIT, CPC, and CCS are certificates that are required to sit/test for the CPMA certification. The CPMA must maintain those certifications after the CPMA is obtained.

23) On attachments 3.1 and 3.2 Compensation Plan. What is the difference between Row 18 Total Fringe Benefits Hourly Rate and Row 19 Total Hourly Compensation?

RESPONSE: Block 18 is the total fringe benefits hourly rate plus the H&W. Block 19 is the summation of the hourly rate, plus the total fringe hourly rate.

24) 3.4.3.2 (pg 40) - Gov states, will require utilization of Essentris, Essentri ED module, HAIMS, AHLTA, CHCS, CCE via AVHE platform. If the coders are on site why do they have to access AVHE?

RESPONSE: CCE is accessed through AVHE whether onsite or off.

25) Has the government considered the use of remote coding to accomplish the coding requirements? We could have the auditor on site but remote coding allows us to pick from a larger pool of qualified coders. In 3.1 (pg 38) the government states, the services provided under this contract will be performed on-site at contractor facilities. This hints that you want us to do it at our facilities but it not clear.

RESPONSE: No, the Government has not considered remote coding, as noted in paragraph 1.1. of the performance work statement the required services are required to be provided on-site at Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC), Tacoma, WA. The reference to on-site services at the contractor's facilities in para 3.1. will be removed.

26) 5.3.1 (pg 52) Requirements for all positions - Gov states, The contractor shall provide an extensive knowledge of APC, ICD-10, CPTs, HCPCS and E&M coding. Extensive knowledge is defined as a minimum of 5 years coding experience. However, 5.1.3.3.1 and 5.1.3.3.2 (pg 49) states, 3 years coding experience with no DoD experience and 2 years experience with DoD experience. Which number of years is required for coders selected for the project?

RESPONSE: 5.3.1 should read 5 years minimum coding experience without DOD experience.

5.1.3.3.2 should read 3 years minimum coding experience with DOD experience.

27) Addendum to 52.212.

-1, 10 (pg 72) Gov states, this solicitation will be evaluated using the methodology of LPTA. Has the government considered that you are asking for coders/auditor with a minimum of 5 years experience and an accuracy rate of 97%? Contractors will not be able to find inexpensive workers with that number of years experience. Will the government consider making this a best value source selection?

RESPONSE: No. As noted in the solicitation the Lowest Priced Technically, Acceptable Methodology will be used for this requirement. The Government will evaluate the offeror's compensation plan to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the requirement and would be able to successfully recruit and retain qualified contract personnel.

28) The forecast from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections Program

“ Employment of health information technicians is projected to grow 13 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations.

An aging population will require more medical services, and health information technicians will be needed to organize and manage the older generations’ health information data. This will mean more claims for reimbursement from insurance companies.

Additional records, coupled with widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) by all types of healthcare providers, will lead to an increased need for technicians to organize and manage the associated information in all areas of the healthcare industry.”

Based on the extremely low US Unemployment rate and the growth projections for demand for health information technicians above, there currently a labor shortage of certified experienced medical coders and that will continue through the period of performance of this contract, making it difficult to both hire and retain staff. Being able to offer marketplace competitive compensation is essential. Lowest priced awards will not support hiring experienced credentialed coders. Will the government consider making past performance and technical approach significantly more important than price?

RESPONSE: No. As noted in the solicitation the Lowest Priced Technically, Acceptable Methodology will be used for this requirement.

29) 3.1 (pg 38) Gov states, The medical records to code & audit include Outpatient Clinic (OP) Records, Emergency Department (ED), Ambulatory Procedure Visits (APVs), and Inpatient Professional Service Rounds (IPSR), and other outpatient records within MHS GENESIS (DoD electronic health record being implemented at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Washington). Can the government provide a breakdown of how many of each type of record? It costs more to hire an inpatient coder than it will an outpatient coder.

RESPONSE: Yes, it does cost more for inpatient than outpatient. Each type of record costs a different amount so they will be paid separately. The reason they are listed separately is so that we can use them as necessary when there are staffing shortages caused by vacant positions or long leave of absences. Madigan has approximately 45,000 ED visits, 100,000 outpatient, 10,000 APV, 14,000 inpatient, and 60,000 IPSRs per year. When we initiate the task order, we will specify the amount of encounters to be completed by the contractors.