National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Patient-Empowering Technology for Serious Mental Illness (PETS): Technology assisted implementation of Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) for early psychosis.

Description: 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 the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes. No award will be made as a result of this notice. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice. This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Background: The National Insitute of Mental Health (NIMH) Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) for early psychosis is an evidence-based, multi-component team intervention that has been shown to improve clinical and functioning outcomes, reduce inpatient days, and potentially also reduce costs, among young people who are identified and engaged in treatment soon after initial onset of psychotic symptoms. The number of CSC programs in the United States has increased twenty-fold over the last decade, supported in part by research studies initiated by the NIMH as well as dedicated funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) Community Mental Health Services Block Grant program. Currently, almost every state has at least one CSC program, with a total of more than 260 nationwide. While this growth has made CSC services much more widely available, it is important to recognize that most programs are in urban areas and that many persons in need of this intervention may live some distance from the CSC program, which limits access to needed interventions. As such, it may be particularly valuable to utilize patient-empowering technology (PET) to facilitate various components of the CSC intervention, to maintain and enhance engagement, reduce patient and family burden, and ultimately improve outcomes. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this acquisition is to review and evaluatie currently available digital health technology applications to identify any that may be directly suitable, or readily adaptable, for use in augmenting the delivery of Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) for early psychosis, including extending CSC services into underserved areas. Project requirements: The Contractor shall provide the following sevices: The Contractor shall survey the scientific and health technology literature to identify digital technology applications that have been applied to facilitate the key roles, clinical services, and core functions of CSC for early psychosis. Components of CSC are outlined in the NIMH white paper, "Evidence-Based Treatments for First Episode Psychosis: Components of Coordinated Specialty Care" (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/raise/nimh-white-paper-csc-for-fep_147096.pdf). The contractor shall identify and/or develop a standardized, reliable, multidimensional evaluation process to classify, and rate the quality and evidence of relevant PETS. Evaluation factors might include: ease of use, reliability, quality, efficiency, evidence base, effectiveness, security, engagement, customization, cost, and suitability to the CSC environment. The contractor shall identify PETS that meet core requirements and are directly suitable, or readily adaptable, for implementation in augmenting the delivery of CSC for early psychosis, including extending CSC services into underserved populations. From the list of promising digital technology applictions, develop probe questions to structure needs assessment interviews with a sample of CSC providers and service users. The Contractor shall identify at least 8 CSC clinics from the pool of ~265 programs supported through SAMHSA's Mental Health Block Grant set-aside for first episode psychosis programs. (See "Snapshot of State Plans for Using the Community Mental Health Block Grant 10 Percent Set-Aside to Address First Episode Psychosis".) CSC programs selected should represent geographically disparate and ethnically diverse patient populations. The Contractor shall conduct a needs assessment with at least 3 providers and 4 patients at each of these clinics to determine if and how PETS might be integrated into the CSC care pathway. The Contractor shall utilize the results of the needs assessment, identify key CSC services that might be augmented or in some cases replaced by PETS. For example: technology to promote medication adherence, increase engagement in care, efficiently connect patients and providers, deliver vocational/educational rehabilitation, and case management services, provide crisis management, and provide case consultation. The Contractor shall also provide consulting services to the NIMH as follows: Provide technical assistance to NIMH leadership in identifying knowledge gaps and/or research opportunities to evaluate existing and new digital mental health technology. Provide technical expertise to NIMH on conducting portfolio analyses of the existing NIMH digital health research grant portfolio. Anticipated Period of Performance: 8 months from the date of award. The contract will include two (2) options periods for an additional 12 months. Capability statement /information sought: Contractors that believe that they possess the ability to provide the required equipment, should submit documentation on their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contract Specialist. The Contractor should directly and specifically state in the, capabilities statement, which project requirements can be meet and/or supplied. The Contractor must also provide their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HubZone, etc., pursuant to the applicable NAICS code and any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the acquisition requirements. The information submitted must be must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein. A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response is limited to two (2) page limit. The 2-page limit does not include the cover page or executive summary. The response must include the respondents' technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. All responses to this notice must be submitted electronically to the Contract Specialist. Facsimile responses are NOT accepted. The response must be submitted to Jeffrey E. Brown, Contracting Officer, at jeffrey.brown@nih.gov. The response must be received on or before May 13, 2019 at 12 pm, Eastern Time. 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 presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may 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).