SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE - Emergency Prescription Assistance Program

TITLE: Sources Sought Notice - Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) INTRODUCTION This is a Sources Sought Notice in support of MARKET RESEARCH being conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. 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 qualified business sources, both Small Business and Other Than Small Business. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including the possibility of a set-aside. Businesses of all size categories are encouraged to respond to this notice. 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. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this notice is to determine the availability of services to perform the activities related to adjudicating prescription drug claims for medications, specific medical supplies, and durable medical equipment (DME) and reimbursing pharmacies enrolled in the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) on the Government's behalf. Additionally, the intention is to permit the adjudication and reimbursement for the administration or dispensing of specific medications and vaccines by community pharmacies. This effort will allow any pharmacy in the United States and its territories (Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) to use electronic pharmacy systems as an infrastructure to efficiently process prescriptions, specific medical supplies, and DME for individuals that are eligible for the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP). EPAP activities provide "essential assistance" to support state and local jurisdictions as defined in Section 403 and 502 of the Stafford Act, 42 USC 5170b. Program activation will occur under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act or under the authorities of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) to provide emergency medical care to the victims of public health emergencies and catastrophic events that overwhelm the capacity of state and local emergency medical systems to respond to these disasters. Section 2812 of the PHS Act provides that the Secretary may activate the NDMS to "provide health services, health-related social services, other appropriate human services, and appropriate auxiliary services to respond to the needs of victims of a public health emergency (whether or not determined to be a public health emergency under section 319). Project Background: Section 2811 of the Public Health Service Act establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services the position of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (HHS/ASPR) to serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary on all matters related to Federal public health and medical preparedness and response for public health emergencies. ASPR has agreed to accept a subtask from HHS/ASPR to provide pharmaceutical supplies, specific medical supplies, limited durable medical equipment and personnel sufficient to support disaster response operations. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, community retail pharmacies were ready, willing and able to assist victims and evacuees. Indeed, in many disaster areas, community pharmacists were on the scene before any other medical professionals providing first aid and prescription drug assistance to victims. Through the coordinating efforts of DHHS/ASPR, community pharmacists were able to set up and serve the emergency needs of evacuees from Katrina at the Astrodome, Kelly Air Force Base, the Convention Center and hundreds of other evacuee sites using the existing private drug distribution system. Conflicting directions from Federal, State, local and private agencies, along with the lack of any established process for enlisting the help from this community resource were among the biggest challenges for these pharmacies. In fact, many pharmacies that dispensed medications to Katrina evacuees were unable to settle claims due to the lack of clarity about what agency is responsible for paying which prescriptions dispensed during the Katrina disaster response. Prescription drugs, specific medical supplies, and durable medical equipment (DME) are critical first line therapies in treating both acute and chronic conditions. For this reason, assuring an adequate and readily available supply should be a priority for emergency planning. As a byproduct of our experience with Hurricane Katrina, the federal government established the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) to fully leverage private sector resources for efficient prescription drug, specific medical supplies and DME distribution. The EPAP will provide access to necessary prescription drugs, specific medical supplies, and limited durable medical equipment (DME) for individuals who were affected by a major disaster or emergency and have a need for drug, medical supply, or DME coverage (including co-payments as a separate optional requirement for those underinsured) at any pharmacy in the nation or U.S. territories. Additionally, the EPAP will facilitate communications between government and private industry to identify and address any potential pharmaceutical and medical supply needs during the initial disaster response. More information on the EPAP can be found here: http://www.phe.gov/preparedness/planning/epap/Pages/default.aspx Essential Capabilities: The full range of required tasks is listed in the attached Statement of Work (SOW), however the capabilities below will be considered essential when determining a responder's ability to fulfil this requirement. - Have or gain familiarity with the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP). - Capacity to develop and implement the program within 120 days. - Ability to establish EPAP pharmacy network. - Ability to provide program management for all phases listed in the SOW. - Ability to quickly activate the program within the timeframe listed in the SOW, including pharmacy notification and instruction. - Access to and ability to leverage Third Party Liability (TPL) services to ensure that claimants are eligible for EPAP coverage. - Demonstrated ability to handle large claim review and adjudication volume. CAPABILITY STATEMENT Contractors that believe they possess the ability to provide the required services should submit documentation of their ability to meet, at a minimum, the items listed as "Essential Capabilities" above. Responses should briefly cover the contractor's ability to perform the services as listed in this Sources Sought Notice or the attached Statement of Work. Contractors should also provide their Company Name, DUNS number, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. Interested organizations are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number. All capability statements sent in response to this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted electronically (via email) to Forest Crumpler, Contract Specialist @ forest.crumpler@hhs.gov on or before February 11, 4:00 p.m. eastern time. The response must in in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2" x 11" paper size, with 1" top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing, and should be no more than 6 pages in length.