R--NEW - CLINICAL CONSULTANT SERVICE

El Paso Veterans Affairs Health Care System (EPVAHCS) Cultural Transformation Services Performance Work Statement (PWS) 1.0 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES:l The overall objective is to transform El Paso VA Health Care System (EPVAHCS) into a high performing organization that consistently provides safe, efficient, effective Veteran-centered care and whose employees are high-performing team players who enjoy working in the organization. EPVAHCS s need for cultural transformation includes elevating leadership skills, providing executive coaching, and improving accountability, communication, and employee engagement. The contractor shall provide organization transformation services for EPVAHCS and its associated facilities. The contractor shall demonstrate requisite experience in coaching and training comparably sized medical facilities. The contractor shall draw upon a bench of more than 1,000 healthcare consultants to coach, train, and mentor leaders and staff on methods, techniques, processes, and supporting tools/templates that are statistically proven to produce sustained improvement (quality, safety, engagement, satisfaction, and service) at other large medical centers. Additionally, the contractor shall include statistically proven techniques, processes, and supporting tools/templates that produce sustained methods of accountability, achieve better operational efficiency/ clinical outcomes and reduce process/outcome variability (clinical and administrative). The contractor should have experience training other VA medical centers on communication tactics like the patient communication tactic, acknowledge, introduce, duration, explanation and thank you process. The contractor shall provide documentation supporting the effectiveness of its techniques. Facility Deliverables Title Format Calendar days after CO start El Paso Medical Center, located at 5001 N Piedras St, El Paso, TX 79930 and the El Paso Out Patient clinics. 100 EPVAHCS Providers will be trained Classroom style training with education handouts provided by the vendor and possible use of projector, flip chart, and other education tools deemed by the vendor Six sessions a year El Paso Medical Center, located at 5001 N Piedras St, El Paso, TX 79930 and the El Paso Out Patient clinics. 100 EPVAHCS Leaders (managers, supervisors, department heads, section chiefs, assistance and associate directors) will be trained Classroom style training with education handouts provided by the vendor and possible use of projector, flip chart, and other education tools deemed by the vendor Six sessions a year El Paso Medical Center, located at 5001 N Piedras St, El Paso, TX 79930 and the El Paso Out Patient clinics. Train the trainer session of 30 employees Classroom style training with education handouts provided by the vendor and possible use of projector, flip chart, and other education tools deemed by the vendor Two sessions a year The contractor shall implement techniques to improve patients' perception of care as evidenced by the VA Survey of Healthcare Experiences (SHEP) and VA Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) performance measures and improve employee satisfaction as evidenced by reduced turnover and improved all employee engagement survey (AES) results. The contractor shall implement techniques to increase physician satisfaction, enhance doctor communication and reduce provider burnout. l. The contractor shall conduct an initial baseline evaluation and assessment of El Paso VA Health Care System (EPVAHCS) that will identify EPVAHCS strengths and opportunities for improvement. This assessment should include national leadership benchmarks. This assessment should be released from the Director's office and completed by all levels of EPVAHCS leadership structure. The contractor shall deliver the results of the assessment via an in-person presentation to the Director and facility leadership. The contractor should subsequently guide the leadership group through a discussion of recommended next steps. 2. Following the baseline assessment, the contractor shall conduct quarterly follow-up assessments in comparison to the baseline evaluation and assessment to validate progress toward the organization's objectives. Baseline and Quarterly follow up assessments will assess: Alignment of leaders' actions to improve SAIL, AES and SHEP scores with trending. Current level of accountability among leaders and trends. Progress of training and improvements in customer service and leadership skills. 3. The contractor shall conduct a standardized monthly support meeting to provide EPVAHCS leadership coaching, teaching and mentoring either in person, virtually or a combination of both. The contractor shall develop and deliver quarterly training seminars to EPVAHCS leaders and staff designed to provide hands-on learning opportunities to supplement the in person and virtual coaching. The contractor shall work with a team of EPVAHCS leaders to customize curricula for each quarterly training. The curricula will include, but not limited to, leader accountability plans, focused leader rounding, leading best practices to improve patient communication, Leadership training will be provided to up to 600 leaders at EPVAHCS. Up to100 leaders will be trained in a single session. Actual number of participants to be mutually agreed upon by EPVAHCS and the contractor after the initial assessment. The contractor shall provide and implement an established robust, automated, web-based rounding tool for use by all leaders. This tool must provide: Templates for hourly and other Veteran-centric rounding techniques Templates for rounding on employees Library of tactics and templates for enhancing patient safety and quality tracking and reporting Capacity for customization, allowing instantaneous, immediate creation of custom templates and stoplight reports The contractor shall provide and implement a web-based leader accountability tool capable of delivering real time reports. This tool must allow EPVAHCS leaders to enter, access, and share goals and progress data transparently and efficiently. The contractor shall also establish an accountability implementation team comprised of EPVAHCS leaders. This tool must contain functions that: Establish weighted, measurable goals for leaders Enable quarterly action planning Facilitate monthly support meeting discussions Validate the efficacy of action planning The contractor shall provide onsite coaching visits. The contractor will have coaches and mentors available with specific operational expertise and demonstrable prior experience in leadership best practices, communication templates to improve patient/employee trust, shift pass down protocols to ensure smooth transition between shifts, cultural change, change management, employee engagement, physician engagement, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) improvement, leader development, executive coaching, executive rounding and quality improvement. Coaches and mentors must have expertise on developing shared governance standards, such as increased engagement, retention, and autonomy; driving toward action by setting and owning goal; reducing variability and optionality to drive cultures of zero harm; and building a culture based on doing purpose-driven work. The contractor shall provide annual training via an on-site education session for nurses. These forums must include role playing workshops to demonstrate and validate industry leading practices. The contractor must consult with EPVAHCS nurse and executive leadership to ensure the curriculum for these forums includes process improvement and development of consistency and standardization across staff. The contractor shall provide an educational forum designed to bring physician leaders the next level. The contractor shall provide physician leader development across a twelve-month period. Available topics must include, but not be limited to, goals and action planning, rounding on providers, behavior-based peer interviewing, code of conduct versus compact, reward and recognition, teamwork, personal communication, emotional intelligence, performance conversations and providing feedback, reducing patient anxiety through communication, change management, dyad leadership, and reducing provider burnout. The program must be led by physician experts and must include skill development sessions and workshops, regular coaching calls and monthly exercises, skill validation, and certification. For the duration of the period of performance, the contractor must provide EPVAHCS with an online catalog of best practices, tools, workbooks, books, and other resources that have been harvested, tested, and refined from other healthcare organizations. Throughout the period of performance, the contractor shall provide access to all EPVAHCS leaders the leadership development and automated accountability systems, tools, publications, video and online resources required to achieve and sustain the desired outcomes. The contractor must be able to provide EPVAHCS with leading best practices from industry physician and employee engagement arenas. Performance Measures: Contractor's baseline assessment shall be used to assess progress achieved over time. Quarterly, contractor shall provide metrics on number of staff trained and a summary of an end of training questionnaires provided to staff who were trained that quarter. This questionnaire should discuss perceived usefulness of training, quality of instruction, applicability to the workplace and suggested changes to the training for next quarter. Annually, contractor shall reassess their techniques via survey of all EPVAHCS staff who have participated and present findings to executive leadership. 1.1 LOCATION OF WORK: The contractor shall perform assessments, coaching, and training at EPVAHCS main facility. 1.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The period of performance shall be for one Base Year of 12 months and four (4) option years. The Period of Performance reads as follows: Base Year: January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 Option Year I: January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 Option Year II: January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 Option Year III: January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 Option Year IV: January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS: Contracting Officer (CO). A person duly appointed with the authority to enter into and administer contracts on behalf of the U.S. Government. Contracting Officer s Representative (COR). An individual designated in writing by the Contracting Officer to act as an authorized representative of the Contracting Officer to perform specific contract administrative functions within the scope and limitations as defined by the Contracting Officer. Contractor Service Personnel (CSP). All subcontractors performing work for primary contractor. Survey of Healthcare Experiences (SHEP) Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) Employee engagement survey (AES)