Video Teledermatology Project

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation being conducted under Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with FAR Part 13. It is the intent of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), to negotiate on a sole source with Medical University of South Carolina under the authority of 13.106-1(b) only one source reasonable available to procure the continuation of services and expertise of the Video Teledermatology Project. This acquisition is NOT a small business set-aside and the NAICS code is 611310. This announcement constitutes the formal Request for Quotation (RFQ) and NO additional written solicitation will be issued. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) will work with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and its Office of High Performance Computing and Communication (OHPCC) to research high definition (HD) video technology for remote teledermatology consultation. The research is justified because of the lack of controlled studies for many telemedicine applications generally and teledermatology applications specifically, a finding documented in two thorough telemedicine research reviews conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Teledermatology studies often lack a gold standard for comparing methods and no teledermatology studies have been done employing uncompressed high definition video, only standard definition or compressed HD, which sometimes lacks quality. Commercial HD videoconferencing products that might be used for teledermatology research add compression to regular HD video which can affect quality, while the technology used in this study does not. The research will be conducted in accordance with a working research plan that has been developed jointly by MUSC and NLM. The plan is a working document outlining procedures and draft instruments that can be used in performing the research, but elements of it may change as instruments and methods are pilot tested and data collection begins. The main features of the plan described in this statement of work would not change, however. Specifically, MUSC will use dermatology residents and a board certified dermatologist to diagnose sufficient patients for meaningful statistical analysis under the following conditions: 1) by remote uncompressed or slightly compressed HD video, 2) by other definition (OD) video (either standard definition or highly compressed HD video), 3) by traditional store and forward (still image) methods, and 4) in-person. Each patient will be diagnosed 3 times by different residents: once by video (either HD or OD), once by store and forward methods, and once in-person. Diagnostic accuracy and confidence, decisions to biopsy and confidence, encounter quality, and technology preferences would be assessed. Half of the patients would be assessed by HD and half by OD video. Different residents would be assigned to the video, store and forward, and in-person conditions and would rotate through them so that each resident will have used each consultation method approximately the same number of times. Residents in the in-person condition will perform their consultation with a board certified dermatologist and both will confer and reach agreement on the differential and specific diagnosis and any decision to biopsy. In addition, residents and patients will complete a short scale rating the quality of the encounter for the remote video and in-person conditions and the quality of the workup and information provided for the store and forward condition. MUSC will provide network cabling and a desktop videoconferencing system and will recruit patients, coordinate assignment of patients and residents, collect and duplicate diagnostic and encounter-workup and information quality instruments that have been completed and forward the copies to NLM for data input and analysis. They will store the originals for at least three months after data collection is completed as back up while results are analyzed, in the event data sent to NLM are lost. The current best estimate of the number of patients required for statistical purposes is 240. NLM will provide, install and maintain the video technologies used in the research and will train MUSC staff in their use. MUSC will provide the store and forward technology. NLM will assist the MUSC principle investigators in training staff on research procedures and conduct open ended interviews of MUSC staff concerning their perceptions of the technology when data collection is complete. NLM will perform data input and statistical analyses and NLM and MUSC staff will jointly work on publishing research results. NLM will retain ownership of the video equipment and will remove it at the end of the study. The offeror shall include all information necessary to document and/or supports the qualification criteria in one clearly marked section of its quotation. All responses from responsible sources will be considered. Inquiries regarding this procurement may be made to the National Library of Medicine, Office of Acquisitions, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 105, MSC 5488, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, and Attention: Dionne Hopson, Contract Specialist, on 301- 496-6546. RESPONSES ARE DUE BY 12:00 PM LOCAL PREVAILING TIME ON March 29, 2011, AND SHALL BE SENT VIA E-MAIL TO: hopsond@mail.nih.gov. Vendor shall comply with all applicable Federal, State and Local laws, executive orders, rules and regulations applicable to its performance under this order. Full text of clauses and provisions are available at Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR): http://www.arnet.gov/far/. The following clauses and provisions shall apply to this acquisition and maybe obtained from the web site: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items (June 2008); FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items (January 1999); FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items (August 2009); FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items (June 2010); FAR 52 212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Items (January 2011); and FAR 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - Central Contractor Registration (October 2003).