Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Long Term Care Facility (LTCH), and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs Analytics, Outreach, and Support Data Analysis

The purpose of this action is to solicit small businesses, 8(a), set-a-side in accordance with FAR Subpart 5.203 for procurement entitled: Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Long Term Care Facility (LTCH) and Hospice Quality Reporting Programs Support, Outreach and Program Support.

CMS seeks to promote higher quality and more efficient health care for Medicare beneficiaries, and our efforts are furthered by quality reporting programs coupled with public reporting of that information. Quality reporting programs already exist for various settings such as hospital inpatient services via the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program, hospital outpatient services via the Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program, and physicians and other eligible professionals' services via the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS).

This project supports the administration of the Quality Improvement Organizations Program (QIO). The Social Security Act, as set forth in Part B of Title XI - Section 1862(g), established the Utilization and Quality Control Peer Review Organization Program, now known as the Quality Improvement Organizations Program. The statutory mission of the QIO Program is to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and quality of services delivered to Medicare beneficiaries. This project will provide outreach, education, communications, payment determination, reconsideration, help desk and business process support for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Section 3004 Program Support and Analysis.

Moreover, the work under this contract aligns with the work and mission under Section 3004 of Health Care Reform H.R. 3590, Quality Reporting for Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCH), Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals (IRF), and Hospice Programs amending Sections 1886(j)(m) and 1814(i) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395).

Quality reporting programs have been established LTCHs, IRFs and Hospices. Under the new quality reporting programs (QRP) for Hospices, IRFs, and LTCHs, providers began data collection on October 1, 2012 for payment determination in fiscal year 2014. CMS implemented these new programs with a very small number of quality measures for the first year. CMS has been expanding these QRPs and will continue to do so over the next several years.

This particular scope of work pertains to support needed for the programs created by Section 3004. Primary functions of this work include data analysis, support data validation methodologies, implement program evaluation activities, support public reporting of quality data, quality assurance, policy support, annual payment update determination, and technical assistance, and provide education and outreach to providers in support of the LTCH, IRF, and Hospice quality reporting programs. Additionally this contract shall support stakeholders including, but not limited to providers, CMS, and other Federal partners, to achieve success in the public reporting of quality measures and the direct improvement of quality of care. A support contractor for these programs is necessary so that CMS can continue performance measurement and quality improvement at the National level.