Emergency Department Management & Staffing Services and Local Tenens & Temporary Health Care Providers

INTRODUCTION: This is a Sources Sought notice. 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 sources; and (2) whether they are Native-owned businesses; small businesses; 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. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition are 622110 (General Medical and Surgical Hospitals Services) with size standard of $38.5M; 621111 - Offices of Physicians with standard size of $11M; 621112 - Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists, size standard of $11M; Offices of Dentists; 621330 - Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) with standard size of $7.5M; 621320 - Offices of Optometrists with standard size of $7.5M; 621340 - Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists with standard size of $7.5M; 621391 - Offices of Podiatrists with standard size of $7.5M; and/or 621399 - Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners with standard size of $7.5M. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government with its acquisition set-aside determination. BACKGROUND: The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The mission of IHS is to raise the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of American Indians and Alaska Natives to the highest level and assure that comprehensive, culturally acceptable personal and public health services are available and accessible to members of the 566 federally recognized Tribes across the United States. The Great Plains Area Office (GPAO) in Aberdeen, South Dakota, an Area within the IHS, works in conjunction with its 19 Service Units and Tribal managed Service Units to provide health care to approximately 130,000 Native Americans located in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. The GPAO's Service Units include seven hospitals, eight health centers, and several smaller health stations and satellite clinics. Each facility incorporates a comprehensive health care delivery system. The hospitals, health centers, and satellite clinics provide inpatient and outpatient care and conduct preventive and curative clinics. The Indian Health Service (IHS) is issuing this sources sought notice as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support two major components: 1) Provide twenty-four hour per day, seven days per week, three hundred sixty-five days per year (24/7/365) Emergency Department (ED) Management and Staffing Services and 2) Provide Local Tenens and Temporary Health care in the in the labor categories described in this notice. Companies shall discuss their relevant past performance; approach to recruit and retain qualified medical professionals, both locum tenens and temporary health care providers as well as whether or not the company has a pool of available candidates who are available to fill long term commitments, and experience providing ED practice management services that meet CMS Conditions of Participation, The Joint Commission accreditation standards, and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The goals of the RFI: - Gain knowledge of common business practices for the ED Management industry. - Understand best practices strategies for quality measurement and improvement and participation in national benchmarking initiatives to improve efficiencies for ED Management. - Obtain feedback regarding national and regional preferences and capabilities. - Gain knowledge of common business practices for the locum tenens and short term health care staffing industry. - Understand best practices to improve efficiencies for placement of locum tenens and temporary health care staffing. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT: The intent of this RFI is to obtain information necessary to assist IHS in developing a strategy for possible multiple awards for the major components: - 24/7/365 Emergency Department Management and Staffing Services - Locum Tenens and Temporary Health Care Providers Component 1- 24/7/365 ED Management and Staffing Services: Acquire the non-personal highly-skilled medical and nursing personnel (ED Physicians, Physician Assistants (PA), Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) and Registered Nurses (RN), to provide onsite 24/7 emergent and non-emergent services necessary on a 24/7/365 basis to treat eligible patients of the IHS. Services to include Medical Support Assistants (MSA) and Health Technicians (HT) to provide infrastructure (i.e., administrative and clerical support services) as comprehensive as the IHS supplied facilities; equipment and support services permit. These contractor services include providing onsite ED physician services shall provide services that meet or exceed the ABIM/ACEP Guidelines http://www.ACEP.org/. Please address the following options for providing ED Management and Staffing Services: 1. Federally Managed - Contractor provides ED staff (ED Physicians, PA, APN, RN, MSA, HT, and registration clerks) under supervision of a Federal ED Leadership/Supervisory positions: ED Director and Nurse Supervisor. This option would also allow for the ED to be staffed with both contractors and federal employees working together. 2. Contractor Managed and Staffed - Contractor provides full ED Management and staffing services to include Contractor ED Leadership/Supervisory positions: ED Director and ED Nurse Supervisor and staffing (ED Physicians, PA, APN, RN, MSA, HT, and registration clerks). 3. Transitional Management - Contractor initially provides full ED Management to include Contractor ED Leadership/Supervisory positions: ED Director and ED Nurse Supervisor and staffing (ED Physicians, PA, APN, RN, MSA, HT, and registration clerks), then the Contractor gradually transitions the ED Management functions to federal management. The contractor may then continue to provide the non-supervisory staff positions. Great Plains Area (GPA) is continuing to recruit federal employees to fill positions for its ED. In the event GPA is able to hire IHS staff to fill the positions in the ED, GPA shall give the contractor a 60-day notice that a staff member has been hired and the impact on contract usage. ED Management and Staffing Services Places of Performance: The Government will determine whether a single or multiple awards will be made for the provision of ED Management and Services for each GPA facility identified. Contractors may propose to provide services on site for all of the following places of performance or just selected places of performance: - Omaha/Winnebago Hospital (OWH), Winnebago, Nebraska o 13 bed hospital: Inpatient Census Monthly Average: 12.5 Admissions; 0.9 Daily census; Acuity Average Monthly Visit Rate: Level 1: 2 visits; Level 2: 21 visits; Level 3: 213 visits; Level 4: 458 visits; Level 5: 128 visits; Average monthly ED Transfer Rate: 60 per month. Annual Patient Volume: 9,595 - Rosebud Hospital (RBH), Rosebud, South Dakota o 35 bed comprehensive medical/surgical hospital: Inpatient Census: 4.1 for the last year; Inpatient Acuity: Level 2 - 3; Transfer Rate: 13 -15%; 41 Average patient load; Acuity: ESI 1 - .1%; ESI 2 - 4%; ESI 3 - 32%; ESI 4 - 44%; ESI 5 - 18%; Annual Patient Volume: 14,725 - Pine Ridge Hospital (PRH), Pine Ridge, South Dakota o 45 bed hospital: 1/1/17 - 1/31/17; ESI levels; Level 1 - 59 visits, Level 2 - 732 visits, Level 3 - 695 visits; Level 4 - 66 visits; Level 5 - 11 visits; Hospital inpatient acuity Average: 90%. Annual Patient Volume: 22,778 - Fort Yates Hospital (FYH), Fort Yates, ND o 12 bed Acute Care Hospital: Inpatient census: One (1); Acuity rate: 2.6; Transfer rate: 8%; Capabilities: X-ray, no CT or MRI; Volume: 7,775 - ED Medical Services for other GPA EDs may be added. Component 2 - Locum Tenens and Temporary Health Care Providers: Provide locum tenens and temporary health care providers to cover short term staffing requirements in IHS facilities. GPA staff is composed of a variety of medically-related occupations in the following functional categories: 1. Physician Services (primary care and specialty care) 2. Physician Assistants (Family Practice, Emergency Medicine) 3. Nursing Services (RNs and APNs) 4. Allied/Ancillary Services (Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Radiology, Pharmacy, Laboratory, Psychologists, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, etc.) 5. Medical Services Support Staff (MSA, HT and registration clerk) 6. Dental Services (general or specialized dentistry or dental surgery) Locum Tenens and Temporary Health Care Providers Places of Performance: The Government will determine whether a single or multiple awards will be made for the provision of locum tenens and short term health care staffing for each healthcare facility within the GPA. Contractors may propose to provide services on site for all of the following places of performance or just selected places of performance. Healthcare Facilities descriptions can be found at the following URL. https://www.ihs.gov/greatplains/healthcarefacilities/ RESPONSE INFORMATION: THE CAPABILITLY STATEMENT PRESENTED MUST CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THE CONTRACTOR'S EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE IN ED MANAGEMENT AND SERVICES, LOCUM TENENS AND SHORT TERM HEALTH CARE STAFFING. The capability statement shall sufficiently address how the ED Management and Services, locum tenens, and short term health care staffing solutions will be implemented. The methodology must ensure that the interested vendor has the capacity to successfully provide services to sustain a large-scale, multiple facilities located in various states to implement the proposed solution. In particular, responses SHALL ADDRESS EACH OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION to be considered a complete and compliant response. 1. Contractor's technical knowledge, understanding, and competence related to the requirements. 2. Contractor's recommended approach to perform the work. 3. Contractor's past performance and experience. 4. Contractor's management approach, specifically in relation to quality control and quality assurance. 5. Contractor's ability and management approach to provide services under both the Federal Managed and Contractor Managed and Staffed options previously described. 6. Contractor's proven ability to provide the necessary staff to carry-out the scope of service as evident by the number and qualifications of existing contractor staff and or sub-contractors. 7. Complete the market research questionnaire at the end of this notice. INSTRUCTIONS TO INDUSTRY: All interested parties are encouraged to respond. Responses must directly demonstrate the contractor's capability, experience, and ability to marshal resources to effectively and efficiently perform the objectives described above. Generic capability statements are not sufficient and will not be considered compliant with the requirements of this notice. The Government requests interested parties submit a written response to this notice which includes the following information: a. Company Name b. Company primary point of contact, mailing address, and telephone number(s), and website address. c. Name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a company point of contact who has the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with government representatives. d. While it is not a requirement, provide company GSA Schedule number or another available procurement vehicle if applicable. e. Company's System for Award Management (SAM) registration status. You do not have to be registered on SAM to respond to this RFI. However, all eligible respondents to the any Request for Proposal (RFP) must be registered on SAM, http://www.sam.gov/. Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Any information provided by industry to the Government as a result of this sources sought synopsis is strictly voluntary. Responses will not be returned. No entitlements to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges to the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses or the Government's use of such information 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 are received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published on the Government Point of Entry (www.fbo.gov). However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information shall be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information provided by the contractor in any resultant solicitation(s). Questions must be submitted via e-mail as directed below, no later than 4:00 p.m. (EST) on February 17, 2017. Government responses to questions received on this sources sought notice will be answered along with any other questions received in response to the solicitation (assuming a solicitation is issued). Reponses to this sources sought notice are due 4:00 p.m. (EST) on March 3, 2017. Capability statements will not be returned and will not be accepted after the due date. The maximum number of pages for this submission is fifteen (15) pages. NOTE: The questionnaire is not inclusive of the 15 pages. MARKET RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE QUESTIONS FOR INDUSTRY: The Government desires that respondents offer their experience and recommendations on the following questions related to the ED Management and Services, locum tenens, and short term health care staffing industry. Please answer the following questions: 1. Can your company provide comprehensive ED Management and staffing to include Contractor ED Leadership/Supervisory positions; i.e., ED Director and ED Nurse Supervisor based on some or all of the characteristics described in the sources sought notice? 2. Can your company provide comprehensive locum tenens, and short term health care staffing based on some or all of the characteristics described in the sources sought notice? 3. Does your company currently provide locum tenens, and short term health care staffing based on some or all of the characteristics described in the sources sought notice to organizations within the commercial market and/or Federal Government? If so, describe the types of services that you currently provide. 4. If you are a small business, what level of subcontracting, if any, would be available for the service(s) you are interested in providing? 5. Does your company provide national and/or regional coverage? 6. What are the minimum and maximum lengths of staffing assignments for your company? 7. How much lead time is needed to fill a staffing assignment? 8. Does your company make all the travel arrangement for your staff on assignment to locations away from their residence? Is the commercial practice to invoice for travel expenses separately or incorporate travel into the hourly rates? 9. What innovative approaches and partnerships/relationships with medical schools and/or health professional training programs are used by your company to recruit and retain health care staffing? 10. Is your company certified by the Joint Commission or some other health care certification organization? If yes, what is the certification? 11. What is your company's primary NAICS code? What NAICS code would you anticipate for a requirement for services necessary to meet the Government's objective? NAICS URL: https://www.naics.com/naics-code-description/?code=561320 12. Should the Government publish a formal solicitation, do you anticipate any challenges preparing a competitive price proposal to provide ED Management and staffing, locum tenens, and short term health care staffing services based on some or all of the characteristics described in the sources sought notice? Do you anticipate any perceived barriers to competition? If so, please specify. 13. What is your company's ability to recruit from medical colleges and health professional training programs? 14. Discuss your company's process for conducting credentialing/prime source verification/vetting providers. 15. What is your company's "placement success rate?" 16. Discuss your company's Peer review process and capabilities? 17. Describe your company's experience and capability with working with and/or implementing Telehealth? 18. Describe your company's experience with the complex geographical, social, and underserved populations considerations that complicate the recruitment of and retention of qualified health and allied health professionals for health care facilities located in remote rural or highly rural areas. Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves capable to perform the aforementioned services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice and questionnaire no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on March 3, 2017 All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to the Contract Specialist, Wendy McNorial: Wendy.McNorial@ihs.gov with a copy to the Contracting Officer, Kenneth Truesdale: Kenneth.Truesdale@ihs.gov.