SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Medical Transcription Services
- Notice Date
- 7/15/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 561410
— Document Preparation Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Veterans Affairs;VA Central Office;Acquisition Operations Service (049A3);810 Vermont Avenue, NW;Washington DC 20420
- ZIP Code
- 20420
- Solicitation Number
- VA-101-06-RI-0186
- Response Due
- 8/11/2006
- Archive Date
- 10/10/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION SPEECH RECOGNITION AND MEDICAL DICTATION/TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is seeking information from potential qualified sources including service disabled veteran owned businesses, small businesses, women-owned business, and small disadvantaged business. Responses will be used to assist the VHA in developing a Statement of Objectives for the procurement of medical transcription services and the methods for delivering those services to Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) nationwide. This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. It is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. The U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred by the contractor in response to this RFI. Responses shall not exceed 15 pages, excluding printed marketing brochures, corporate, or product information. BACKGROUND The VHA is a leader in the development and use of an Electronic Health Record (EHR), which includes both text-based and scanned documents. Responses should address, at a minimum, transcription capabilities that include report generation, transmission, and uploading of text-based documents compatible with VHA's EHR. Customarily, the VHA uses traditional dictation and transcription services. A limited number of VHA facilities utilize a wider range of transcription services, including speech recognition, in an effort to provide timely, accurate, and cost-effective documentation of medical information. The VHA desires to gain more flexibility by taking advantage of technological solutions that combine software, hardware, and services into a manageable process. Additionally, the desired solution would include a method for transferring and editing documents prior to incorporating them into a consolidated health record. VHA provides a full scope of healthcare services that must be supported by this transcription solution. These services include, but are not limited to, the following areas: radiology, pathology, acute care, outpatient clinic, and emergency room services. The anticipated initial contract period will be one year with the option of extending the contract period for two additional years at the Government's discretion. STATEMENT OF NEED The VHA has a requirement for medical transcription services that includes: FRONT-END SPEECH RECOGNITION Health care providers will dictate using a speech recognition system and/or device that will transpose speech into text during, or at the completion of the dictation session. The healthcare provider is responsible for correcting errors in spelling, grammar, composition, and medical terminology, prior to saving and exiting the document. BACK-END SPEECH RECOGNITION Health care providers will speak into a telephone or other digital dictation device (voice capture.) The speech recognition system produces a draft text copy of the recorded voice file. Both the draft text file and the synchronized voice file are sent to a transcription editor who is responsible for verifying accuracy, making corrections, and sending the final document or report to the health care provider for review and signature. The final document will become a part of the medical record. TRADITIONAL DICTATION TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES Health care providers will speak into a telephone or other digital dictation device (voice capture.) The voice is then transcribed into a text document, which can be uploaded into VHA's EHR. When requested, the contractor shall provide all necessary software, including speech recognition and line counting, as well as components, and hardware for completing dictation and transcription. All transcription shall be composed in English. The contractor shall transcribe reports utilizing VHA defined formats, including headers and footers. The contractor shall transmit and/or upload completed reports and documents to the VAMC using transmission and batch protocols provided by the VHA. Respondents should include their capabilities for providing any or all of the above solutions. Medical dictation and transcription services shall be available and/or provided to the VHA on a 24-hour basis, 365 days per year including minimum turn around times (TATs) available for report types. Responses will be based on a line count of 65 visible (printable) characters, 12 pitch, and spaces between characters and paragraphs do not constitute visible characters. Respondents will provide their capacity to provide services both in terms of volume and geographic limitations. The contractor must comply with all national guidelines for security and privacy including the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules, the Privacy Act of 1974, and any additional Department of Veterans Affairs or VHA directives, or requirements for compliance. QUALIFICATIONS Additional requirements: All work and related work products must be conducted and retained within the United States and its territories. Contractors must be willing to engage in a business associate relationship and sign, maintain, and comply with a VHA Business Associate Agreement. Contractors must be willing to engage in a Data Use Agreement, as applicable, which would include specific provisions for transmission, storage, return, and/or destruction of VHA data. This would also include methods of ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of VHA data. At the Veterans Health Administration's discretion, facilities must be allowed to participate in monitoring the dictation queue, transfer, upload, and editing of transcribed documents. Contractors must have the capability and bandwidth to support current high-speed data transmission. Contractors must provide all necessary software, components, and hardware for completing dictation and transcription and/or have the ability to work with VHA-owned equipment. Contractors must provide line counts on a monthly basis for validation, and to support billing reports. Contractors who have previous experience with all of the requirements described above are preferred. Previous success with interfacing or integration of Veterans Health Information Systems & Technology Architecture (VA-VISTA) is also preferred. Also, please provide information about any Federal Supply Schedule contracts that your company has that may apply. REQUESTEED INFORMATION: The VHA requests that all interested parties provide a written response with information on their ability to provide speech recognition, digital dictation, and traditional medical transcription services as described in the Statement of Need. In addition, responses should include information on the contractor's ability to meet the additional requirements listed under QUALIFICATIONS above. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Are the stated requirements clear and relevant in relation to current information technology concepts and capabilities available in the commercial market? What are your perceptions regarding these requirements as a potential contract or task order? Describe how these services should be structured and strategically sourced. Describe cost savings and other benefits the VHA may receive by implementing change management and acquiring these services. Please describe any relevant lessons learned and industry best practices, to include management, operational approach, security requirements, etc. Are performance measures and incentives effective or beneficial when acquiring the described services? If so, please identify and describe such measures and incentives. TIME FOR RESPONSE: Responses to this RFI are due 20 business days from the date of issue. Direct questions to Veronica Bates-Gomez at (202) 254-0436 (primary) or Margaret Milligan at (202) 254-0438 (alternate.). Please cite VA-101-06-RI-0186. METHODS FOR SUBMISSION: E-mail: veronica.bates-gomez@va.gov Mail: Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (10FL) Attn: Veronica Bates-Gomez 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420
- Place of Performance
- Address: Department of Veterans Affairs;VA Central Office;Acquisition Operations Service (049A3H);810 Vermont Avenue, NW;Washington, DC
- Zip Code: 20420
- Country: United States
- Zip Code: 20420
- Record
- SN01090351-W 20060717/060715220459 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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