R -- Collection and Management of HEDIS Data Submission

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to negotiate and award a contract exclusively to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) under the authority that only one responsible source can fulfill the agency’s requirements. This contract is intended to support CMS in the collection and management of annual HEDIS data submissions from Medicare Advantage managed care organizations, as well as the development and testing of new quality of care performance measures for Medicare beneficiaries. Since 1997, Medicare managed care organizations have been required to report performance metrics from HEDIS, a standardized set of healthcare quality measures maintained by NCQA and utilized widely by private and public healthcare purchasers to assess health plan performance. CMS relies heavily on this data to provide transparency, improve quality, and ensure proper oversight of the Medicare program. The contractor’s role includes providing and maintaining an IT infrastructure and information system to facilitate the collection, management, and submission of HEDIS data from Medicare Advantage plans. Additionally, the contractor must offer tools, detailed technical guidance, and direct support to Medicare Advantage plans to ensure compliance with data submission requirements. The period of performance is twelve months, and while this notice signals CMS’s intent to negotiate directly with NCQA, it is not a request for proposals; however, interested parties with demonstrated capabilities may submit statements by the specified deadline for consideration in case the government opts to pursue competition. The contract is aligned under NAICS code 541710, focusing on professional scientific and technical services.