Access, Exchange, and Use of Social Determinants of Health Data in Clinical Notes

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology seeks proposals to conduct qualitative research and analysis to understand provider documentation and use of social determinants of health data in clinical notes, and barriers to exchange of this data from provider and patient perspectives. Offerors must address how providers currently leverage open text fields to document social determinants of health information in electronic health records, the challenges experienced in using this data, and how individuals want to collect, share, and use this type of data including via smartphone apps or patient portals. Proposals are due by August 26, 2020 and will be evaluated based on the offeror's technical approach and price to perform tasks including an environmental scan, focus groups, and providing recommendations in a final report.

There is no set-aside designation for this procurement. OpenNotes, a non-profit research organization, is deemed the only contractor capable of performing the work due to specialized expertise and will be awarded a one-year, firm-fixed price contract valued at $305,632 to conduct the research. The place of performance will be Washington, DC.