Request for Information - US Peace Corps - PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATION

RFI PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATION This is a Request for Information (RFI) notice only. This RFI is for informational planning purposes only and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government for any actual procurement of materials, machinery, or services. This notice does not constitute a solicitation or a promise of a solicitation in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI are solely at the responding parties' expense. Respondents are solely responsible for properly marking and clearly identifying any proprietary information or trade secrets contained within their response. The Government will not be liable for, or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly marked and clearly identified. Proprietary information received in response to this sources sought will be safeguarded and handled in accordance with applicable Government regulations. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract or agreement. The Peace Corps will not be obligated to pursue any particular acquisition alternative as a result of this RFI. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if one is issued. Agency US Peace Corps President Kennedy formed the Peace Corps with an executive order on March 1, 1961 and in 1979, it was made a fully independent federal agency. Since its founding, more than 200,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps Volunteers in 139 developing countries that have requested assistance. The Peace Corps mission is to promote world peace and friendship through service to others. Peace Corps Volunteers live and work within the community they serve abroad, learning the local language, and contributing skills. This technical assistance is one of the three goals of the Peace Corps. The other two revolve around cross-cultural understanding gained as the people of other countries begin to understand an American as well as the cultural experience brought back and shared when the Volunteer returns home. More information about the Peace Corps can be found on our website at www.peacecorps.gov Office The Peace Corps Office of Health Services (OHS) is requiring these services. The mission of the Office of Health Services (OHS) is to provide quality medical and mental health services and support to the Peace Corps community through the Office of Medical Services (OMS) and the Counseling and Outreach Unit (COU). The Office of Health Services is headed by the Associate Director for the Office of Health Services (AD/OHS). OHS is located at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC. OHS provides oversight and consultation to more than 125 Medical Officers in more than 65 countries worldwide where Peace Corps Volunteers currently serve. Medical Officers are responsible for providing direct healthcare to more than 7,000 Peace Corps Volunteers. OHS is tasked with overseeing various Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives. These initiatives include monitoring measures that keep a real-time, ongoing assessment of the quality of healthcare that is delivered to volunteers. An integral part of OHS' QI initiatives includes the reporting of Sentinel Events. OHS defines Sentinel Events as an event in which a Volunteer may have been harmed or injured during their Peace Corps service. Review and discussion of these events may trigger further investigation. The resulting reports and documents require an objective analysis of the circumstances leading up to the event in order to determine if it was preventable and to recommend further steps to prevent recurrence. As an independent federal agency, the Peace Corps Office of Health Services is not part of a larger federal healthcare system. Recently, OHS has instituted and formalized its QI activities. OHS now generates Patient Safety Work Product (PSWPs) to help the Peace Corps review its medical operations and guidelines, which may drive process revisions. A Patient Safety Organizations (PSO) provides a secure environment where clinicians and healthcare organizations can collect, aggregate, and analyze data. A PSO may also help to identify areas of improvement and offer resources for implementation of recommendations. Request for Information (RFI) The US Peace Corps is performing market research. Peace Corps is seeking information from current Patient Safety Organizations (PSO) to assist in the Market Research efforts for Quality Improvement (QI ) through the development of Patient Safety Work Products (PSWP). The Agency's purpose for the collection and analysis of this data is related to patient events will to help identify and reduce the risks and hazards associated with patient care. PSO's are encouraged to respond to the following questions and submit a response per the "Submission" section below. 1. Company Information a. What is your company name, contact information, email address, physical address, web site address, telephone number? b. What is your organization's NAICS code(s)? c. What is your company's DUNS Number? d. Is your organization a small business? If so, please provide additional information. e. Does your company maintain a GSA schedule? If so, please provide your company's schedule number and SIN category. 2. Technical Capacity a. What type of analysis and services are provided by the PSO? b. Does the PSO offer any type of advisory services and/or provide direct consultation services with Agencies similar to the Peace Corps? c. How could the PSO assist the Peace Corps in managing and refining a patient safety evaluation system? d. Is the PSO listed by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ)? e. What areas of care does the PSO specialize in? (I.e. ambulatory care settings, acute care, etc.) f. What types of healthcare organizations are currently working with the PSO? g. Does the PSO work directly with its clients, or are external consultants utilized? h. What are typical processes for the handling and storage of data for the PSO? i. How is the fee structure set up for the PSO? Is there an annual subscription requirement? Alternatively, are fees only assessed when services are used? j. Is there a minimum threshold of Patient Safety Work Product (PSWP )that must be submitted to the PSO on annual basis? k. How is data from PSWPs aggregated? If so how is this data aggregated? Is the aggregated data shared with outside parties? l. Describe the education and experience of key staff in the areas relevant to the PSOs operations? m. How many years has the PSO been in operation? n. How many bona fide contracts does the PSO have? o. Who provides legal advice to the PSO? p. Has the PSO been subject to any notice of preliminary finding of deficiency? q. Has the PSO been subject to any notice of proposed revocation and delisting? r. How is the PSWP data protected at the PSO? s. How do providers submit PSWP data to the PSO? t. Describe incidents where PSWP data was subject to an unauthorized disclosure or its security was breached. u. Has the PSO been mentioned in any complaints to HHS Secretary or to HHS, AHRQ? v. Has the PSO been subject to a civil penalty? Submissions The Agency is requesting responses, via email with Windows compatible email attachment on or before April 18, 2014 2 PM EST to the inquiries as part of market research. Responses are limited to 10 pages, 12 inch font, and 1 inch margins. If necessary, please include any marketing materials as a separate windows compatible email attachment. In your company's email submission include on the subject line the following: "RFI Response - PSO" Submissions shall be sent to Kathleen Reidy, Contract Specialist, at kreidy@peacecorps.gov and include a copy of the response to Keisha Dawkins, Contract Specialist, Kdawkins@peacecorps.gov. This notice closes on April 18, 2014 at 2 PM EST.