Diagnostic Centers of Excellence Coordinating Center

This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice (SBSS). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small business; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North AmericanIndustry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. Project Description and Requirements AHRQ's mission is - to produce evidence to make healthcare safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable and affordable, and to work with HHS and other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used. AHRQ's Patient Safety Program focuses on improving the safety of healthcare delivery and preventing, mitigating, and decreasing the number of medical errors, patient safety risks and hazards, and quality gaps associated with healthcare that harm patients. Research to improve diagnostic safety is one part to improve patient safety issues. Since the release of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report entitled Improving Diagnosis in Healthcare, funding research to improve diagnostic safety and quality has been an Agency priority. To keep current with the latest research findings, AHRQ is interested in synthesizing research about diagnostic safety (the Environmental Scan), building on research summarized by the NASEM report, and sharing the results with the field to highlight what we know, understand what gaps remain, and suggest potential areas for future research. Recognizing the importance of accurate and timely diagnosis, AHRQ has been funding research to improve diagnostic processes for more than 2 decades, with updates to address technologic advances (e.g., telemedicine) and evolving societal needs and expectations, as well as system disrupters (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). In its comprehensive approach, AHRQ has 1) provided evidence-based information, commentaries, guides, and toolkits in a variety of formats, to benefit healthcare professionals, patients and families, and the general public; 2) funded grants, contracts and a diagnostic safety research summit; and 3) led a federal interagency workgroup focused on improving the diagnostic process. AHRQ has invested in both the development and dissemination of information, including funding more than 80 projects to improve diagnostic safety. The purpose of this contract is to support the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)s General Patient Safety (GPS) program to improve diagnostic safety and quality. The contract has two goals. The first goal is to further the field of diagnostic safety and quality research and practice by conducting an Environmental Scan and then developing Issue Briefs on different diagnostic safety research topics that emerge from the Environmental Scan. The second goal is to support the community of grantees who were recently awarded Diagnostic Safety Center of Excellence (DCE) grants as well as the larger community of grantees who have diagnostic safety focused grants. The contract will include 1) conducting an Environmental Scan on research to improve diagnostic safety and quality; 2) developing Issue Briefs based on Environmental Scan findings; 3) creating resources to advance a Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning and enhance grantee collaboration; 4) providing synthesis reports about AHRQ-funded diagnostic safety and quality projects. Definitions: The - Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning will be comprised of recipients of current AHRQ-funded grants that address improving diagnosis. Currently AHRQ is supporting approximately 20 diagnostic safety grants. AHRQ plans to award up to 10 additional diagnostic safety grants in fiscal year 2023. In future fiscal years, AHRQ intends to fund approximately 6-12 new diagnostic safety focused grants. The - Diagnostic Centers of Excellence (DCE) Community is a subgroup of the Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning, currently encompassing recipients of 10 DCE grants. Tasks include: Task 1. Project Administration (coordination of regular meetings and communication with AHRQ, drafting agendas and minutes, developing a work plan, writing and submitting monthly reports) Task 2. Conduct and update a Diagnostic Excellence Environmental Scan including: submit a plan to describe how to conduct and compile an Environmental Scan (including analysis of peer-reviewed publications, gray literature, and AHRQ-supported products), which shall be a revision of the preliminary plan included as part of the proposal, conduct an Environmental Scan following the methodical approach outlined in the Environmental Scan Plan, develop and submit an Environmental Scan report of evidence, methods, and major findings that includes the identification of themes related to Diagnostic Excellence, aligned with components of the NASEM diagnostic framework, to help care providers and the research field understand best practices and knowledge gaps, diagnostic safety and quality research. It is anticipated that 10 to 20 themes may emerge, develop and submit a paragraph (120-150 words) promotional summary of the completed Environmental Scan Report and a visual abstract, for inclusion in the AHRQ Electronic Newsletter. Task 3. Develop Issue briefs including: develop and submit an Issue Brief Template to be used as a general structure for a series of - State of the Science in Diagnostic Safety Issue Briefs, develop and submit Issue Briefs - two (2) in the base year and four (4) in option periods. For each Issue Brief, the Contractor shall complete an Issue Brief theme developed from the Environmental Scan and provide a paragraph describing the theme and the theme's importance. One Issue Brief will be on general principles that enable centers of excellence to achieve Sustainability. Task 4. Advance a Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning including: provide logistical, planning, and technology support for one annual 2-day hybrid meeting, with an in-person and - virtual or distance option, provide meeting planning and coordination (e.g., e-invitations, agenda, a call-in number), videoconference platform, and technology support for three (3) annual videoconference check-in sessions for AHRQ's current diagnostic safety grantees (comprising the Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning), prepare and disseminate three (3) newsletters, annually, to the Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning, create and maintain an AHRQ-supported online platform (e.g., SharePoint) for use as a repository only by the Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning (i.e., Contractor staff, AHRQ staff, and AHRQ diagnostic safety grantees). The platform shall contain written and recorded materials related to the Annual Meeting, Virtual Check-In Sessions, Newsletter, and any other information provided to AHRQ-funded diagnostic safety grantees, update an AHRQ Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning web page on the AHRQ website at (https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/diagnostic-excellence-grants/index.html ) by providing or updating the synopses for each current or recently completed diagnostic safety grant (approximately 30 total) and preparing a brief synopsis for any new diagnostic safety grants. Task 5: Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning Projects Syntheses including: provide two (2) AHRQ Diagnostic Safety Project Syntheses. One Diagnostic Safety Synthesis - Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning Synthesis - shall include information about all current and past AHRQ-funded diagnostic safety projects (e.g., grants, including the DCE grants, and contracts). The other Diagnostic Safety Synthesis - Diagnostic Safety Diagnostic Centers of Excellence - shall include information about the DCE grants. The Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning Synthesis shall include approximately 90 past, current, and new projects (i.e., grants and contracts); and may be based on an existing diagnostic safety synthesis. The existing synthesis describes approximately 70 projects and is approximately 70 pages, accompanied by an appendix of approximately 100 pages, with details about specific projects, develop and update (annually) two (2) 3 to 4-page Summaries - one for each synthesis (i.e., the Diagnostic Safety DCE Synthesis Report and the Diagnostic Safety Community of Learning Synthesis Report). The Summaries of the Syntheses shall be co-authored by two (2) Subject Matter Experts with expertise in diagnostic safety and quality research. AHRQ intends to post these Summaries on the AHRQ website for public viewing/access. Examples of Summaries are available on AHRQ website at https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/research-summaries/index.html develop and submit one promotional paragraph (approximately 120-150 words) for each of the Summaries, develop and submit one visual abstract (e.g., the equivalent of one visually interesting summative PowerPoint slide) for each of the Summaries. Anticipated Period of Performance The anticipated period of performance is a base period of 12 months with four (4) 12-month option periods Capability Information Sought Capabilities necessary to fulfill this requirement include: Knowledge of patient safety research, in particular diagnostic research and diagnostic safety's significant trends including diagnostic decision-making, Ability to collect, organize, abstract, categorize, synthesize, and summarize information into reports on diagnostic safety information obtained from peer-reviewed publications, gray literature and AHRQ-supported projects (e.g., diagnostic safety environmental scan), Ability to develop summaries based on syntheses, issues briefs and promotional material, including graphics, Skills to advance information sharing, collaboration, and community-building among healthcare researchers and providers (e.g., videoconferences, hybrid meetings), Use of tools to enable collaboration (e.g., SharePoint) and aggregation and documentation (e.g., Excel) to update and maintain detailed databases. Project management with related activities, The key personnel must have thorough understanding of processes, skills, data, and circumstances that impact medical diagnostic decision-making processes and outcomes, Experience in Medical diagnostic process including expertise in macrocognition, systems engineering, human factors engineering, informatics, naturalistic decision-making, medical decision-making, or related sciences, Experience in Translating health services research findings related to the diagnostic process into recommendations, Expertise and experience in diagnostic safety research and associated taxonomies, Understanding of healthcare grant and contracts mechanisms, particularly those funded by the federal government, Gathering and disseminating relevant materials and information to clinicians and healthcare researchers, The capability statement response to this Small Business Sources Sought notice should include the following information: a) Staff expertise, including their availability, experience, and formal and other training; b) Current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; c) Corporate experience and information on prior projects of similar size and complexity; and list any Government-wide contracting vehicles for which the respondent has a contract (example, GSA Schedule, etc.). Information Submission Instructions Interested qualified small business organizations should submit a tailored capability statement for this requirement. The cover page must include the following: UEI number Organization name Organization address Size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) pursuant to NAICS code 541690. Technical point(s) of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone, and e-mail addresses. All Capability Statements sent in response to this SMALL BUSINESS SOURCES SOUGHT notice must be submitted electronically (via e-mail) to Sarah Plasse, Contract Specialist, sarah.plasse@ahrq.hhs.gov in MS Word, or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), no later than 12:00 PM on April 18, 2023. Responses should not exceed 15 single-sided pages (including the cover page, all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, that clearly details the ability to perform the aspects of the notice described above. Disclaimer and Important Notes This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation will be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).