Description
Air Force Medical Service Commodity Council (AFMSCC) Air Force-Wide Medical Coding Assessment Services This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. This RFI shall not be construed as a formal solicitation or an obligation on the part of the government to acquire any product or services. It does not guarantee a solicitation will be issued. Submission of any information in response to this RFI is completely voluntary, and shall not constitute a fee to the government. The information requested will be used by the Air Force and the Department of Defense (DoD) to facilitate decision making. Background: Currently medical treatment facility (MTF) medical coding operations are contracted services and activities accomplished at each Air Force MTF by on-site federal employees and contractor staff. The workload, personnel qualifications and provider training responsibilities have been standardized and will be implemented on 1 October 2009 in three phases with complete implementation by 2011. In an effort to improve accuracy rates, a monthly assessment is also accomplished and reported accordingly by the MTF coding managers. In an effort to develop an independent, centralized cell of professional coding personnel, the Air Force Medical Service Commodity Council and Air Force Medical Operations Agency seeks information, regarding civilian sector capabilities, best practices and risks that may be helpful in development of a future solicitation. The Air Force Medical Services may acquire a remote medical coding review and assessment service that may be housed at a centralized Government location in San Antonio, Texas near the Air Force Medial Operations Agency's Coding Program Office. The contractor would provide, manage and report for a comprehensive program assessing coding operations at all 63 MTFs CONUS (BRAC sites included at this time) and the 13 OCONUS MTFs, for both inpatient and outpatient encounters. Preliminary expectations include: 1. Providing the computer system or tool to create the statistical analysis methodology, and track/record processes, 2. Provide accuracy rates based on a significant and random sample of available encounters for every location, clinic and provider on a recurring schedule, 3. Development of training plans tailored to correct deficiencies identified in the analysis for providers or contracted coders at the MTF 4. Plan and conduct an overall reporting method to effectively communicate results to the AFMOA Coding Program Office, individual MTFs, HQ Air Force or higher level officials. A review of available North American Industrial Classification (NAICS) codes finds that NAICS 55111 (Management of Companies and Enterprises) or NAICS 621999 (All Other Miscellaneous Ambulatory Health Care Service) both have a size standard of $9M (3-year average of annual receipts). Responses to this notice should be electronic and include: company name, address, point of contact, Cage Code, size of business (and designation if small business), as well as a recommendation regarding the proper North American Industrial Classification System for such a service. Additionally, your input should address specifically: 1. Your business perspective on whether a remote office of coding professionals would successfully meet the vision for an independent review, validation and assessment of coding services for all Air Force facilities and if that plan increase efficiencies, lower cost, reduce errors and improve overall coding compliance through education from an impartial third party company and why. 2. The Air Force seeks feedback on the optimal process to ensure the coding operations at each MTF are reviewed, validated and assessed, provided results and guided to improved coding accuracy in a timely manner using both paper-based records and automated records from AHLTA. Input regarding method, frequency, and information technology considerations, as well as audit plans, procedures and reporting is necessary to review and validate a significant sample of approximately 9 million outpatient encounters and 60,000 inpatient encounters annually at 76 different locations generated by 6,000 privileged providers and resident staff members. 3. The Air Force requires assurance of a separate, independent function without any conflict of interest related to the contractors located at each of the MTFs. How could your business approach provide such a guarantee? 4. What risks do you identify in your business approach and how would they need to be mitigated in order to successfully perform the coding assessment services? 5. What prior experience can you offer for similar services for a medical organization? 6. What computer system do you envision could adequately support such a large data set, tracking and report function (i..e, none, developed, commercial-off-the-shelf)? Submitting your answers electronically is the Government's preferred data collection method. Please complete the survey by 17 August 2009. Notice: The AFMSCC has non-Government employees (i.e., contractor employees) assisting with market research. These non-Government employees have all signed non-disclosure agreements and will have access to industry responses. These contracts and non-disclosure agreement preclude the support contractors and their subcontractors or affiliates from proposing on any future solicitation resulting from his request for information.