R699--MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION SERVICE

Off-Site Medical Transcription Services Medical Transcription Services This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this source sought must be in writing. The purpose of this sources sought announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Veteran Owned Small Businesses, 8(a), HubZone and other Small Businesses interested and capable of providing the services described below. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name (b) address (c) point of contact (d) phone, fax, and email (e) DUNS number (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number (h) Type of small business, e.g. Services Disabled Veteran Owned small Business, Veteran-owned small business, 8(a), HUBZone, Women Owned Small Business, Small disadvantaged business, or Small Business HUBZone business and (i) must provide a capability statement that addresses the organizations qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below. I. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE 1. SCOPE OF WORK: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, materials, management, labor, tools, facilities, software, transportation, communication, and all other necessary elements required for the satisfactory performance of the project titled Off-Site Medical Transcription Services, for all facilities located within the VISN 22 Veteran Affairs network. Services shall be performed by respective contractor personnel from a remote location(s) as established by the contractor. The method of communication between the customer and the contractor shall be established by the contractor, who shall be responsible for the continuity, performance, security, and maintenance of established system(s). Contractor shall submit the proposed system and all necessary guidance to the Contracting Officer, no later than 15 calendar days before implementation, for formal government acceptance. All transcription and verification must be performed in the United States of America. There are NO exceptions. Definitions/Acronyms: Contracting Officer (CO) - The representative of the VA who has the authority to enter, administer, terminate, modify, approve changes, or otherwise represent and bind the VA in all matters arising under or relating to this contract. Contracting Officer s Technical Representative (COTR). The contracting officer may delegate one or more VA employees who will be responsible for monitoring the technical performance of the contractor. A copy of the COTR delegation shall be provided to the contractor after award. HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. STAT Report needs to be transcribed and uploaded quickly, generally due to a patient being admitted to the hospital or being transferred to another health care facility. Turn-Around-Time (TAT) - TAT is the difference in time between the time the author hangs up at the conclusion of dictating into the contractor s dictation system, and the time the contractor's completed transcription arrives in the appropriate destination at VA. The VA may implement a program that automatically calculates the difference in time between the time the author hangs up at the conclusion of dictating into the contractor s dictation system and the time the contractor's completed transcription arrives in the appropriate destination at VA. VA records - In this solicitation, VA records include the dictated (voice) record and the transcribed report (text), as well as any paper copy or storage medium for voice or text. Visible Black Character (VBC) - A VBC is defined as strike able and visible characters and includes any printed letter, number, symbol, and /or punctuation mark, excluding any or all formatting (e.g., bold, underline, italics, table structure, formatting codes). All visible black characters can be seen with the naked eye as a mark, regardless of whether viewed electronically or on a printed page. Under this contract, the VBC is the ONLY acceptable unit of measure for billing and payment purposes. Any other method shall be rejected by the government. VistA - Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture. Veterans Information Systems Technology Architecture (VISTA) - The VA s proprietary computer system running on Alpha computers utilizing Windows NT and Open M (MUMPS) by InterSystems. 2. PERFORMANCE SERVICE SCHEDULE: Contractor shall provide on-demand off-site medical transcription services 24 hours daily, 365 calendar days per year. A qualified transcriptionist shall be readily available for performance to ensure standard and STAT turnaround times and shall complete the task on time, in accordance with this document. Federal Holidays - Normal Federal Holidays observed are New Year s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Be advised, as the required services are performed for 24-hour, 7-day-a-week medical facilities, the transcription services shall be required accordingly. The time frames shown elsewhere in this statement of work are always applicable. 3. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS: Dictated material shall include a high incidence of technical/medical terminology and requires a knowledge of highly specialized vocabulary specific to a wide variety of specialty services to include, but not limited to: Anesthesiology, Blind Rehabilitation, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dentistry, Dermatology, Drug and Alcohol Treatment, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, General Medicine and Surgery, Gynecology, Hematology, Immunology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Nephrology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Oral Surgery, Orthopedics, Otolaryngology, Pathology, Podiatry, Psychiatry, Psychology, Plastic Surgery, Pulmonary Disease, Radiology, Renal, Rheumatology, Social Work, Spinal Cord Injury, Thoracic Surgery, Transplant, Urology and Vascular Surgery. Contractor shall provide and maintain the means for required connectivity by the establishment of a toll-free number with unlimited 24-hour access available to all respective sites. Contractor shall ensure all external communication systems are secure, VA-compliant, HIPAA-compliant, and will configure, install, and maintain all remote workstation hardware and software at its transcriptionist stations. Upon request, the contractor will expeditiously provide all requested information to each respective site's Information Security Officer (ISO) and Information Resource Manager (IRM). Medical reports to be transcribed shall include discharge summaries, operative reports, non-operative procedures, history and physical/assessment reports, telephonic authorizations, compensation and pension examinations, pathology and autopsy reports, progress notes, radiology reports, cardiology reports, magnetic resonance imaging, social work assessments, special procedures, and other miscellaneous medical and administrative reports as required. Contractor shall maintain the security and integrity of patient information in accordance with all applicable Federal, State, Local, and VA regulations/guides/directives/etc. Violation of patient confidentiality may result in contract termination. Quality Control Records: The Contractor's facilities, methodologies, and quality control procedures may be examined by the Contracting Officer, his/her designer, or respective COTRs at any time during the life of the contract. All applicable activities are to be performed in accordance with VA s Quality Management Program. The Contractor shall perform the functions required in this statement of work in accordance with the rules of medical ethics, Federal, State, and local laws, rules, and regulations. The Contractor will not participate in, nor be a party to, any activities that conflict with Federal and/or State guidelines. In the event the Contractor encounters conflicting situations, the Contractor will notify the COTR or the Contracting Officer to resolve such issues. The Contracting Officer will document the file and refer the matter to the local privacy officer for resolution of any such situations. Neither the VA nor the Contractor will be responsible for delays or failures to perform caused by events beyond each party's control. The VA and contractor may, upon mutual consent, modify the timing and schedule of services. Estimated percentage breakdown of total by type of report and facility follows: NMVAHCS, Albuquerque: Discharge summaries (approx…