Implementing Quality and Process Improvement in Partnership with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service Providers

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) has a requirement to review the existing quality and process improvement work achieved by the Mental Health Corporations of America (MHCA) member organizations and determine the best framework for projects that support system transformation in an era of lean resources. Community based behavioral health services organizations are facing exceptional challenges in difficult economic times. There is a profound risk that they will abandon process improvement in favor of resource conservation and that systems transformation will suffer. CMHS would like to build upon these MHCA projects and provide leadership in the process of system transformation. While the initial phase of this work focused on the IOM Quality Chasm framework, the next phase can serve as a model for key areas of improvement necessary to support system transformation. This partnership between MHCA and CMHS will be a model for other behavioral health delivery systems to learn from the progress of the participants. The objectives for this project are to develop a quality framework that outlines key areas of system improvement that supports transformation. From this template organizations will learn the key components of quality improvement and learn how to implement and sustain process improvement within their organizations. The participating organizations will also have an expectation that they will then take their learning and findings and disseminate them to other local and regional provider systems. Specifically, MHCA will: convene the members of the steering committee and the MHCA leadership to develop the framework for the improvement projects and the strategies for dissemination and spread of the results; launch the Quality Collaborative; provide technical assistance and train participants and mentors; facilitation of the collaborative; and a final report. Notification of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract: Mental Health Corporations of America (MHCA) is an alliance of select organizations that provide behavioral health services. It is designed to strengthen members' competitive position, enhance their leadership capabilities and facilitate their strategic networking opportunities. At the heart of MHCA's purpose and work is a belief that community behavioral health providers must rise to the challenges presented by a transforming healthcare delivery system. Members recognize that major shifts are occurring in demographics, technology, politics, the economy and organizational frameworks. There is an increasing demand to contain cost, deliver more efficient and measurable services and engage employees whose skills and personal/professional investment reflect the organization's commitment to excellence. Through their membership in MHCA, these organizations are encouraged to learn best practices from each other and are introduced to top-notch, nationally recognized leaders in management reform and healthcare delivery. Members regularly examine their corporate vision and are given tools to anticipate tomorrow's challenges. There are 135 member organizations from 33 states. In 2007 MHCA launched a project to implement the Institute of Medicine's Quality Chasm framework in a select group of their member organizations. A geographically diverse group of participating organizations selected the six aims of the IOM Quality Chasm report as a framework for these projects. Since all agencies had a strong commitment to person centered care, the IOM aim of patient centered was rolled into each of the other five areas. As a result five working groups (Safety, Effectiveness, Timely, Efficiency, Equitable) were created, and participants selected one work group to join. Each organization designed and implemented a quality improvement project as a part of this initiative. These projects spanned eighteen months and culminated in twenty five organizations completing improvement projects in one of five areas. A summary of these projects is available at www.mhca.com. Most all of the participating organizations have expressed interest in a follow up phase of work that would focus on two factors. The first area is to expand the base of improvement projects within their organizations and the MHCA group. The other objective is to support the spread of these projects to other constituencies and to foster system transformation across larger delivery systems. They have expressed the interest in building on the preliminary work to develop sustaining infrastructures that support quality and process improvement. A core group of leaders have also emerged from the initial projects who have expressed interest in providing guidance and technical assistance to this next phase of work and serving as mentors to support this process. Allen Daniels Ed.D., an employee of MHCA, has extensive experience in the development and facilitation of quality improvement projects. He has provided leadership, guidance and helped author the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine's Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance Use Conditions report, which has served as the basis for previous work on this project. His subject matter expertise and considerable skill developed the CMHS Strategic forecast report and the analysis of the IOM's Quality Chasm report to the New Freedom Commission and the Federal Action Agenda with the IOM's M/SU report, which is the basis of this sole source. This work continues the baseline for the analysis of the current questions and issues. Additionally, the involvement of Mental Health Corporations of America (MHCA), the preeminent global association of high performing providers of behavioral health and related services, provides in kind support to the project as well as the platform for the project. This effort builds on work completed and advanced. Recreation of this effort with any other vendor would require substantial duplication and increased cost to the Government. MHCA is using their proprietary data and system to inform and advance the final product. Any firm that believes it may have similar capabilities is encouraged to submit their capability statement addressing their ability to accomplish the tasks of this requirement. Written capability statements may not exceed ten (10) pages and must be received by email to the contract specialist no later than midnight EST on September 26, 2009. Small Businesses are encouraged to review this notice. E-MAIL CAPABILITY STATEMENT TO: Marc.Long@psc.hhs.gov. The Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b). No solicitation document is available at this time. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. For further information, contact Marc Long at DHHS/PSC/SAS/DAM, Parklawn Building, Room 5-101, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857 or on 301-443-7086.