VHA Quality Governance - TIERED EVALUATIONS

Added: Jun 01, 2018 3:53 pm











(i)This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.



(ii) Solicitation number 36C10X18Q0171 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ).



(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-97.



(iv) This acquisition is a TIERED EVALUATION set aside. An offer must indicate which tier they are responding to. This solicitation is being issued as a tiered evaluation for SDVOSB concerns, or in the alternative, a tiered evaluation for VOSB concerns, or in the alternative, a set aside for other small business concerns with HUBZone small business concerns and 8(a) participants having priority. If award cannot be made, the solicitation will be cancelled and the requirement resolicited. Please see Section E.1 for more information. See Section B.3 for PWS.

(v) The NAICS code is 541611 and the size standard is $15 million.



(vi) The contractor shall provide Quality Governance for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in accordance with the Performance Work Statement that is included in the solicitation package, Section B.3.



(vii) Questions due on 6/11/2018 by 12:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time).



(viii) Quotes are due on 07/02/2018 by 2:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) and can be emailed to david.rupert@va.gov.



(ix) The point of contract is David Rupert. Phone (240) 215-0805. Email david.rupert@va.gov.



BACKGROUND

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is committed to providing Veterans with timely, accessible, and high-quality care. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) intends to honor this commitment by improving performance, promoting a positive culture of service, increasing operational effectiveness and accountability, advancing healthcare innovation through research, and training future VA clinicians. VA recognizes that while the healthcare landscape is constantly changing, VA s unique population and broad geographic demands will continue to require community-based care for Veterans. A Veteran enrolled in the patient enrollment system of VA, established and operated under 38 U.S.C. § 1705, may receive services under these VA Choice contracts. Healthcare services will be provided in each state as defined in 38 U.S.C. § 101(20). As part of this obligation to provide care in the community, VA intends to award a Community Care Network contract to qualified managed care support suppliers. This network will need to seamlessly integrate with the VHA s enterprise care delivery assets and must include the ability for Veterans to choose where they receive care. To better inform Veterans choice, VHA will provide Veterans and stakeholders outcome data from both private sector care and VHA facilities for the given types of care. In addition, VA has been cited for inconsistent quality oversight and follow-through with improvement activities, necessitating a modern system with a more standardized, comprehensive framework around quality governance.



The VHA Office of Quality Safety and Value (QSV) vision is to be the world s best integrated health care system through continuous improvement, measurement, and transparency. The VHA is committed to providing Veterans with timely, accessible, and high-quality care. To achieve this vision, VHA is spearheading transformative efforts to operate as a High Reliability Organization (HRO), which involves creating a healthcare environment that focuses on continuous quality improvement where every patient experiences safe, high-quality, efficient and timely care.

QSV requires support in creating a quality governance structure backed by an effective quality operational model for ongoing improvements, accountability at all levels (in quality, safety, satisfaction and financial areas) and integrated performance reporting.

QSV s vision of a shared governance is a system that is patient centered; leveraging a framework that provides horizontal links for peer learning and vertical links for oversight and accountability. It breaks-up traditional research and clinical silos and combines basic and applied research with health-system operations. The result of which, creates a system that aligns the goals and strengths of a wide and diverse set of stakeholders to include clinicians, patients, researchers, and administrators towards common outcomes.

In preparation for this transition, VA is embarking on a major transformation to operate as a High Reliability Organization (HRO) creating a healthcare environment that focuses on continuous quality improvement where every patient experiences safe, high-quality, efficient and timely care. This journey will promote a culture that anticipates and recovers from risks, rewards respectful interactions based on trust and values, promotes speaking up, and is committed to a unified purpose of preventing harm and eliminating waste while continuously improving quality and the Veteran experience. To achieve this vision, the VHA must focus on:

Improving governance, accountability and integrated performance reporting

Understanding clinical risk at the provider, unit and system level

Enabling an operating model that supports continuous, enterprise-wide learning and improvement

Ensuring the Veteran and family are at the center of all care experiences

To begin the HRO journey, the VHA implemented a proof of concept, new clinical quality, safety and value oriented governance structure leveraging high reliability principles and cascading accountability structures to support and enable care teams at every level of the organization. Research, academic and healthcare contract support were utilized to co-design a governance structure based on previous published fractal models. As part of ongoing model adjustment, the VHA will refine clinical business processes, organizational and decision structures, performance and accountability measures, training requirements, reporting and incentives, and adaptive behavioral norms regarding transparency, communications, trust, respect and teamwork. The objective of this new operating model will be to begin the HRO journey by organizing, training, incentivizing and enabling VA staff to continue to provide high quality, empathetic, safe care supported by a just workplace culture. The resulting transformation will yield improvements in quality, safety, employee and patient satisfaction as well as operating effectiveness (throughput and cost).