R -- ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN AN INTERNET-BASED PROJECT FOCUSED ON QUALITY MEASURES

Notice Date

February 15, 2001

Contracting Office

AgencyforHealthcare Research and Quality, Diviision of Contracts Management, Executive Office Center, Suite 601, 2101 East Jefferson Street, Rockville, MD 20852

ZIP Code

20852

Solicitation Number

AHRQ-01-0006

Response Due

February 28, 2001

Point of Contact

Mary Haines, Contracting Officer, 301-594-7193

Description

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is conducting a market survey to seek potential sources from qualified small business firms under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541611 ($5 million) which have the capability to carry out the development, implementation, and maintenance of an Internet-based project that focuses on quality measures. The project purpose is to 1) establish and maintain an Internet-based National Measures Clearinghouse (NMC) containing detailed information on quality measures; 2) design, develop, and maintain a database backbone that will house the NMC as one module and be expandable to include additional AHRQ clinical tools such as the National Guideline Clearinghouse and technology assessments in subsequent modules; 3) provide appropriate and timely technical assistance; and 4) provide appropriate integration between different Internet-based AHRQ clinical information and decision modules tools. The project will involve the recruitment and use of a Panel of Experts who represent public and private expertise in quality measurement research, health informatics, and the application of quality measures in real world settings across a variety of levels of care and provider types. In addition, the project will involve developing attributes of measures and their definitions, building on work already documented in the field of measurement including but not limited to work done by Foundation for Accountability (FACCT), Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), National Commission for Quality Assurance (NCQA), American Medical Association (AMA), which will be used to characterize the measures included in the NMC. A set of evidence-based and reliable criteria will be developed and applied to determine the suitability of including measures into the NMC. Included measures will be abstracted to develop a structured summary based on the attributes and definitions developed. The measures will be coded with standard reference terminologies whenever possible. Controlled vocabularies will be used, and created when necessary, to describe certain attributes and to aid in measure retrieval. Technical assistance will be provided to users of NMC using a variety of formats with E-mail queries answered within 24 hours during the business week and 48 hours during the weekend. Sources must have knowledge of and in-depth experience with quality measures, their development and application; health services research; reference terminologies and their application; analyses of complex clinical information; data base modeling and development; development, implementation, and support of Internet-based systems; and managing complex demanding projects. Sources must also posses, or be able to obtain (in-house or through subcontracting/consulting arrangements) the staff and other resources needed to expeditiously carry out the different types of activities listed. Sources must describe experience with and using quality measures and their capability to provide technical assistance to users of NMC. Sources must also describe their ability 1) to solicit, evaluate for inclusion, abstract, and code at least 1,000 measures a year; 2) to recruit and support a Panel of Experts for NMC; 3) to develop and maintain an Oracle based database and backbone to house other AHRQ derived clinical information tool modules; and 4) develop and maintain an Internet-based interface for the NMC. Staff must include a Project Director who should have a Masters Degree, M.D. or Ph.D., with a minimum of ten (10) years experience in analyzing quality measurement/improvement, biomedical, medical effectiveness or outcomes, or other scientific literature, research findings and data, preferably with significant experience related to development and application of measures; evaluation and implementation of evidence-based clinical information including measures; management of large complex projects including the development and implementation of original work; and work with organizations, including measure developers, hospitals, health plans, quality improvement organizations, or medical specialty societies. Interested small businesses should submit their capability statements (no more than ten pages in length) to Mary Haines, Contracting Officer, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Division of Contracts Management, 2101 East Jefferson Street, Suite 601, Rockville, MD 20852, no later than 3:00 pm, eastern standard time, on February 28, 2001. Capability statements should be tailored to this request and identify the source's capabilities to complete this requirement, including information on key staff experience and education, and a description of corporate experience with similar projects. Capability statements should be submitted in an original and two (2) copies.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010220/RSOL021.HTM (W-046 SN50D813)