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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF FEBRUARY 18, 2011 FBO #3373
DOCUMENT

Q -- Home Health Aide/Skilled Nursing Contract - Attachment

Notice Date

2/16/2011
 

Notice Type

Attachment
 

NAICS

623110 — Nursing Care Facilities
 

Contracting Office

Department of Veterans Affairs;Erie VAMC;Acquisitions (Bldg 9 03C);135 E 38th St;Erie PA 16504-1559
 

ZIP Code

16504-1559
 

Solicitation Number

VA24411RP0126
 

Response Due

3/18/2011
 

Archive Date

4/2/2011
 

Point of Contact

stacy schwalbendorf
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

The Erie VA intends to solicit for a combined skilled nursing/home health aide contract for the beneficiaries of the Erie VA. Any interested agencies please send a request for the solicitation to the e-mail address identified in this notice. Offers are due 3/18/2011 at 4pm. DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/SCOPE OF WORK 4.1GENERAL: The Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Erie Pennsylvania is soliciting a multiple award contract to provide home health care services to eligible veteran beneficiaries of Erie, Crawford, Venango, Warren, McKean, Forest and Elk Counties of Pennsylvania and Ashtabula County, Ohio and Chautauqua County NY. Services shall be in accordance with the terms, conditions, provisions, and schedule herein for the period of April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012, with four, one-year, pre-priced options for renewal. 4.2DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS: A. Certified Home Health Agency “ means a community agency that provides skilled nursing/therapy and custodial home health services for individuals in the community. The agency is state licensed or CMS certified for the level of care provided and is in good standing with state licensing bodies in the state where the agency provides care. For contract purposes this will be referred to as ścontractor ť or "contracted agency ť. B. CO - Contracting Officer C. COTR - Contracting Officer ™s Technical Representative D. EVAMC “ Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center E. Home and Community Support Service - means the provision of one or more of the following health services required by an individual in a residence or other non-acute care living environment. These services shall be provided by the listed individuals. (1)Skilled Nursing, including a palliative care focus a.RNsb. LVNs/LPNs (2)Therapy Services a. Physical Therapy (PT)b. Speech Therapy (ST)c. Social Services (MSW) d. Occupational Therapy (OT) (3)Custodial/Respite Services provided under the delegation of a licensed RN*: a. Home Health Aide (HHA certified)b. H/HHA/Respite c. Homemaker (H) The *RN will provide the admission visit and post- hospital visit for those patients not receiving skilled nursing care services. The Home Health Aide will provide all subsequent visits. The RN will make supervisory visits for the HHA. F.JC “ Joint Commission. G.JC Standards “ JC standards address an organization ™s level of performance in key functional areas, such as patient rights, patient treatment, and infection control, and performance. JC standards set forth performance expectations for activities that affect the safety and quality of patient care. JC develops its standards in consultation with health care experts, providers, measurement experts, purchasers and consumers. 4.3Contractor Responsibilities: 1. The contractor must be state licensed and/or Medicare/Medicaid certified for the level of care provided and is in good standing with state licensing bodies in the state where the agency provides care. If Medicare/Medicaid certified, contractor must be approved for Medicare/Medicaid payment from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This process is generally administered by the State in which the home health care agency is licensed. 2. Contractor shall be responsible for the management, supervision, and assignment of personnel required to perform home care services described herein. Home health care services shall be directly related to the patient's need and shall not be provided for the convenience of other members of the household. Services shall not include companionship except as authorized under institutional respite. 3. Contractor shall be responsible for oversight and management of all care provided by their employees to authorized veterans. Problems or changes in the veteran's care and needs shall be reported to the EVAMC COTR or designee as soon as possible, but no later than the next regular business day following contractor ™s first knowledge of changed condition. 4. All services under this contract must be provided by competent, qualified and experienced healthcare professionals who are licensed and or certified by the state in which they will practice. Evidence of each employee ™s certification/licensure/training shall be provided to the contracting officer and or COTR upon request. 5. The contractor shall have a quality improvement/quality assurance (QI/QA) program established in accordance with State standards. The (QI/QA) plan and supporting data will be provided along with the contractor ™s proposal, and will be submitted yearly thereafter prior to execution of each option year. A copy of the (QI/QA) plan and the supporting performance data must be made available to the EVAMC upon request anytime during the life of the contract. 6. Contractor shall have written policies and procedures regarding staff credentials. All home health care services provided by the contractor shall be performed by competent staff that is familiar with the nature of the services involved and fully qualified under the laws of the States to which they are licensed and or certified. The contractor shall maintain and submit with the proposal a copy of each employee ™s certificates, training, licensure or other information as requested who will be providing services to veterans under contract. 7. The contractor shall be responsible for protecting the personnel furnishing services under this contract. To carry out this responsibility, the contractor shall provide the following for their personnel: workers compensation professional liability insurance health examinations income tax withholding social security payments The parties agree that such personnel shall not be considered VA Employees for any purposes and shall be considered employees of the contractor. 8. EVAMC Administrative tour of duty is Monday “ Friday 8a.m. “ 4:30p.m. excluding Sat., Sun. and Federal Holidays. The (COTR) is the initial contact and is available Monday “ Friday 8:00a.m. “ 4:30p.m. If VAMC assistance is required outside of the COTR ™s tour of duty, the agency will contact an EVAMC Social Worker. If assistance is required on off tour (Monday “ Friday 4:30pm “ 8:00am, Saturdays, Sundays and Federal Holidays) the agency is instructed to contact the main switchboard at the number indicated herein. The Contractor shall be required to provide services in accordance with schedule requested in the EVAMC referral. 9. EVAMC reserves the right to remove any or all VA patients from the care of the agency at any time. 10. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing services in all locations within the counties for which they are awarded a contract. 11. Place of Performance: Services shall be provided at the patient ™s residence. All services and costs associated with transportation of the Contractor or subcontractor personnel shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. A.CHANGE IN CONDITION/SERVICES: Contractor will notify the EVAMC COTR or the patient ™s primary care provider/team as is listed on the referral form as soon as recognized but no later than 48 hours after any of the following incidents or conditions: 1. The patient ™s physical or mental status changes and a need exist to reach an EVAMC caregiver to modify the number of visits or type of services required. 2. The patient or family member or personal care giver refuses services. 3. The patient did not receive services for a scheduled visit for reasons such as vacation or transfer to a hospital or expiration B. DISCONTINUATION OF SERVICES: If the patient no longer requires services, the Contractor shall discontinue services and immediately notify the EVAMC COTR and/or designee. Furthermore, EVAMC reserves the right to discontinue services being provided to any patient at any time, when it is determined by EVAMC to be in the best interest of the patient and or the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center. C.Duly authorized representatives of the EVAMC will make visits to veteran ™s homes to assure continuity of care. D.The EVAMC has the option to conduct at least one annual on-site inspection of the contracted agency ™s office. E.When a veteran needs to be hospitalized, it shall be at the nearest VAMC whenever possible, but at the closest hospital if a life threatening emergency occurs. 4.4SCOPE: EVAMC reserves the right to obtain services from an agency other than the contracted agency when, by their professional assessment, another agency would be the better resource to meet the needs of the patient or family or when the contracted agency cannot provide services upon request. Contractor shall only provide services which have been previously approved by the EVAMC COTR or designee after eligibility for such has been validated and confirmed through the Health Administration Section for payment. Contractor shall coordinate, supervise and evaluate the care and services provided under this agreement through supervisory visits every 60 days. Contractor shall be responsible for the scheduling of all visits and hours of visits based upon agency policy, physician ™s orders and their established plan of care, and for all discharge planning activities, based upon agency policy and local, state and federal regulations and for contacting the EVAMC COTR or designee for authorization to provide care beyond the initial request. A. SKILLED SERVICES PROVIDED BY CONTRACTOR: 1. Contractor shall provide all purchased skilled home Health Care to beneficiaries to include medically necessary home health nursing, with the initial admission visit to establish, assess, and develop the plan of care. Home infusion therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and social work services shall be provided by licensed, competent, professional staff. Supervision shall be provided according to agency policy, state, local and federal regulations/JC Standards (if applicable) for Home Care. 2. The EVAMC Social Worker or designee will make appropriate referrals to the Agency on a completed EVAMC Referral Form or Consult from EVAMC Provider. This form will include the recommendations of the primary care provider for home health care services and the number of hours of home care per week. 3. The contractor agrees to perform initial assessment within 24 hours of receipt of EVAMC referral. The contractor will hold the care plan and the EVAMC will make the referral and provide quality oversight and monitoring. 4. If additional services are required in order to properly treat the patient, contractor should call the Nurses Line at 814-860-2100, they will take the message for what you are requesting and provide it to the ordering provider. The ordering provider will need to enter a new consultation request for Fee Services; If approved an updated authorization will be issued to your facility until then services should be discontinued, all additional services must be pre-authorized; the only exception to this rule is when care must be given immediately due to a medical emergency- notification is still required. 5. Services include: a) Nursing Services, treatment, diagnostic and preventive procedures requiring substantial specialized skill, patient safety monitoring, medication management and administration, including intravenous fluids, medicines, TPN, chemotherapy and necessary care of the delivery lines and equipment, and necessary lab work with reports to the physician. Specimens shall be brought to the EVAMC Laboratory for analysis unless other arrangements are made when ordered. b) Teaching, supervision and counseling patient and family members regarding nursing care needs and other related patient problems. c) Management of ordered rehabilitation regimen to include assessment and on-going re-assessment of all referred patients based upon agency policy. d) Development, implementation, oversight and modification of the patient plan of care. e) Documentation of patient ™s care and progress in the patient ™s clinical record according to agency ™s established policy. f) Submission to the EVAMC physician the initial plan of care, updates every 60 days, and discharge summary within 30 days of discharge, which shall include documentation of outcomes of care/services provided. g) Services shall be available 7 days per week, 24 hours per day to provide ordered care and to cover emergencies. h) Case Management and documentation. 6. Purchased Skilled Therapy Care Services: The contractor shall provide skilled therapy in-home services by qualified personnel as a component of the medical care necessary to support veterans in restoring or improving their health status, maintaining their independence, or providing them supportive services. The contractor agrees to perform the initial assessment within 48 hours of EVAMC referral. The skilled therapy services include, but are not limited to the following activities: Physical Therapy: range of motion, strengthening exercises, gait and transfer training Occupational Therapy: mobility, transfers, gait, ADL ™s Speech Therapy: speech, language, oral and pharyngeal senor motor skills training Social Worker: family caregiver support, emergency plan, community resources 7. Home Infusion Therapy: Contractor shall provide home infusion therapy services, as ordered and authorized, in the homes of eligible veterans who are designated by the EVAMC and who live in the counties listed in Section 4.1. First doses of medications shall be administered in the home environment based on contractor agency policy and protocol. a) Contractor shall provide and deliver medications, IV solutions, ancillary medical supplies (infusion pumps, syringes, dressings, tubing, flushes, etc), necessary laboratory tests with reports to the EVAMC Primary Care Provider, and patient/caregiver education in the mechanics of all equipment and procedures as necessary to reinforce in the home environment. Documented instructions shall include, at a minimum, safe and appropriate use of the medical equipment/supplies, administration of medications, signs and symptoms of reactions, both expected and adverse, basic home safety, patient ™s rights and responsibilities such as when and how the patient can contact the contractor for problems, equipment maintenance or repair, an emergency preparedness plan to prevent interruption of services, standard precautions, cleaning, handling and storage of equipment and disposition of hazardous waste materials. b) Contractor shall keep documentation of patient education in a retrievable file, which shall be available within 24 hours to EVAMC upon request. Care planning process and documentation shall be in accordance with agency policy. c) Contractor shall manage initial patient admission, assessment and re-assessment as determined by patient needs. Such assessments shall be performed by a trained, qualified and licensed Registered Nurse. EVAMC COTR shall be promptly notified of any problems that may arise. d) Contractor shall be responsible for scheduling all patient visits. Contractor shall also monitor, according to patient ™s needs, safe and proper storage of supplies including attention to appropriateness of space, cleanliness, temperature, and disposal. e) Contractor shall deliver, assemble and set up the equipment in the area of the patient ™s preference, and on a regular basis by trained personnel, contractor shall adequately prepare the site in the patient ™s home and shall unpack and assemble equipment in a condition to be used. All work shall be accomplished by competent personnel who are experienced and familiar with the item(s) and able to convey the instructions in a courteous manner at a level within the ability of the patient/caregiver to understand. f) Contractor shall conduct ongoing inventory management and delivery service to the veteran's residence or designated location on a regular schedule. A toll free number shall be provided which shall be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for patients/caregivers to call for problems that arise. Assistance shall be provided for any questions or concerns that patients/caregivers may have during the course of their home care. Contractor shall provide 24 hour, 365 day/year nursing and pharmaceutical coverage for home infusion patients, including emergency services for replacement and/or back up equipment/supplies when necessary. g) Intravenous infusion therapy shall be performed initially by appropriately trained Registered Nurses only. h) Based upon contractor ™s established criteria, home infusion therapy patient can be determined and documented to be śindependent ť (i.e. after instruction and competent return demonstration from patient or caregiver that s/he is able to administer home infusion correctly without the presence of a nurse). These criteria include professional nursing assessment, assuring through patient/caregiver demonstration and applicable documentation, that patient/caregiver can manage line and drug administration, can cite signs and symptoms of infection, complications of therapy and side effects. 8. Laboratory Services: Contract nurses obtaining lab specimens will bring them to the EVAMC. Laboratory tests must be ordered by EVAMC physician to be authorized for payment. When it is not possible to deliver the lab specimens to the EVAMC due to distance, specimens may be taken to the nearest ACL for processing. a) All specimens collected by contract agency staff should be labeled in the presence of the patient and contain the following information: Patient ™s full name and full social security number Date and time (if applicable) collected Initials of person collecting the specimen b) Specimen cups must have the identification label affixed to the side of the specimen container, not the lid. c) Each individual specimen container (tube, cup, swab, etc.) must be properly labeled. d) The EVAMC Laboratory personnel will not assume the responsibility for identification of unlabeled specimens. All specimens not properly labeled with full patient name and full patient social security number will not be processed until positive patient identification is made by the collector. If identification cannot be secured, the specimen will be rejected. B. HOME HEALTH AIDE SERVICES PROVIDED BY CONTRACTOR: The contractor shall provide Custodial Home Health Services to beneficiaries in accordance with a plan of care that enable frail or functionally impaired persons to remain in the home. The Contractor provides services which are ordered as part of a routine, on-going health maintenance care plan. The services include Home Health Aide/Homemaker (H/HHA) and Respite. Services shall be provided for no less than one hour per visit at the frequency and for the duration of the period authorized by the EVAMC. Provider's travel time will be outside of the time authorized for care and at the agency ™s expense. As required by state law the agency must provide a registered nurse to make an initial visit within 72 hours of receipt of EVAMC referral. 1. Home Health Aid services may include assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADL), aid in ambulation or transfers, active and passive exercises, bowel program, assistance with medical equipment and routine health monitoring (i.e. vital signs, weights, ability to perform ADL and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), specific household tasks necessary to maintenance of a clean and safe environment in areas of the home used by the patient, meal preparation, changing of patient's bed linens, and patient's laundry. Patients SHALL NOT be transported by any contract agency staff. 2. Non Institutional Respite Services may include assistance with ADL ™s, light meal preparation and socialization. Patients shall not be transported by contract agency homemakers. 3. At a minimum, agency supervisory RN visits shall be provided no less than every 60 calendar days by staff trained to perform them and shall be supervised by the contractor according to contract agency ™s policy, federal rules, regulations and laws. Supervisory RN visits are not billable and mileage is not included. 4. Contractor shall provide custodial services subject to the same stipulations outlined for skilled services relative to admission, assessment and re-assessment, development and maintenance of the plan of care, coordination, supervision, scheduling, evaluation of care, documentation and discharge planning as appropriate to services being provided. Contractor shall maintain sufficient trained staff to provide services as ordered. 5. As it is impossible to determine the exact or estimated amount that will be expended under this agreement, no obligation will be incurred by the EVAMC under this agreement until authorizations are issued for home health care of specific beneficiaries. EVAMC agrees to make payment on a timely basis for services rendered in accordance with such authorizations and receipt of properly prepared billings submitted by the contractor at the completion of each month's services. EVAMC COTR will promptly notify the Contracting Officer of any change in the billing/payment process. 4.5SECURITY: A. Contractor shall carry out and document sufficient investigation of their employees to ensure that they are free of criminal background or substantiated incidents of patient abuse. They shall be competent, licensed and insured to operate motor vehicles if necessary to the performance of their duties. B. The Contracting Officer and or the COTR or designee specifically reserves the right to reject any of the contractor ™s personnel and refuse them permission to provide services under this contract. C. Confidentiality: VA will provide the Contractor with access to pertinent patient medical information for the purposes of providing a service to VA. The Contractor shall ensure the confidentiality of all patient information and shall be held liable in the event any person knowingly and willingly discloses confidential patient information. D. Authorization to Release Information: As a result of this task, the Contractor shall be subject to the Privacy Act of 1974. Federal Acquisition Regulations 52.224-1 Privacy Act Notification, and 52.224-2 Privacy Act, is provided in full text in the Addendum to FAR clause 52.212-4. The Contractor shall not release any medical record information. The VA is the sole entity authorized to release any information upon written authorization from the patient. E. Patient Medical Information: Contractor personnel who obtain access to medical records or access hardware/software that may store or contain drug or alcohol abuse data, sickle cell anemia treatment records, records, tests or treatment for infection with HIV, medical quality assurance records, or any other sensitive information protected under 38 U.S.C. §4132 or §3305, as defined by VA, shall not have access to the records unless absolutely necessary to perform the requirement. Any contractor-employee required to access pertinent data shall not disclose to the contractor employees that are not involved in the performance of this task. Any violation of these provisions may involve imposition of criminal penalties. F. Patient Medical Records Handling, Storage, and Retention: The contractor shall store all medical records in a locked/secured room during the performance period of this requirement. The contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that records are maintained in a safe and secure environment. 4.6ACCREDITATION: A. Contractor shall maintain state license and/or current Medicare certifications and proof of such license/certifications shall be provided to the EVAMC with the proposal. If the Contractor is also Medicaid certified, proof of such certification shall be provided to the EVAMC with the proposal. Any conditions of noncompliance and recommendations will be provided to the EVAMC within seven (7) days of the agency ™s notification. If at any time the contractor loses licensure/certification, contractor will notify the EVAMC within 48 hours. B. Contractor shall furnish with its ™ proposal evidence of Indemnification and Medical Liability Insurance coverage at levels as stated in the solicitation. Contractor shall be required to maintain said insurance certifications and shall provide updated insurance certificates to the VA Contracting Officer, as necessary. 4.7QUALITY IMPROVEMENT: A. Contractor shall provide to the EVAMC evidence of Quality Improvement activities as required by the State, including results of agency surveys, reports of nosocomial infections, and utilization review. Reports shall be submitted to the EVAMC (COTR) upon request and at least once a year during renewal period of contract. B. Contractor shall maintain a record of patient complaints including problem resolution and all quality improvement activities in a retrievable file and shall be provided to the EVAMC COTR upon request. A summary of such reports shall be provided to the EVAMC Home Health Care Coordinator/COTR quarterly. Reports shall include nosocomial infections, accidents and injuries, medication errors, confirmed patient abuse, and any reported sentinel events. C. Contractor shall document and fax a report within 24 hours to the EVAMC COTR or designee of any incidents of death, accident, injury or infection. Such reports shall include those incidents related to furnished medications, supplies or medical equipment and any life threatening equipment malfunctions or equipment recalls. The contractor shall maintain a recall plan for identified hazardous equipment. D. Contractor shall provide for appropriately trained personnel to relieve during vacation, sick leave, turnover of personnel, and other periods of emergency to assure adequate coverage. E. The Contractor shall not provide services which have not been previously approved by the Home and Community Base Director/designee. Payments will not be made for services that have not been previously authorized. F. Contractor shall ensure all clinical information from routine care and routine diagnostic testing is provided to the EVAMC within 30 days of the initial episode of care or prior to referral for further consultation. G. The Contractor shall be responsible for supervision of the daily home health services provided by agency staff for the individual health care entities specified in Description/Specification of the contract and as indicated on the physician orders. The Contractor controls the care plan. The EVAMC acts as a payer of services for patients referred for home care services to the Contractor. EVAMC staff physicians provide oversight of orders/care plans and EVAMC home care staff communicates between professionals. A copy of the initial and ongoing daily assessments shall be maintained by the contractor and shall be accessible to the EVAMC at all times. 4.8 Home Health Care Administrative Responsibilities: A. The contractor agrees to accept referrals of and to provide services specified in this contract for any veteran determined eligible by this medical center, regardless of the race, color, religion, sex or national origin of the veteran for whom such services are ordered. B. It is agreed that the EVAMC shall have access to all medical records concerning the veterans ™ care. It is agreed that duly authorized representatives of the EVAMC may provide follow-up calls to veterans to assure satisfaction and continuity of services provided under this contract. C. As it is impossible to determine the exact or estimated amount, which will be expended under this contract. The EVAMC will incur no obligation under this agreement until authorizations are issued for home health care of specific beneficiaries. D. Plans of Care and physician orders should be forwarded to the Community Health Nurse Coordinator via fax at (814) 860-2672 or mailed to the attention of the Community Health Nurse Coordinator at the following address: VA Medical Center ATTN: Community Health Nurse Coordinator (114) 135 East 38th Street Erie, PA 16504 E. Payment Process: A HCFA 1500 and/or UB-92 claim form or Electronic Data Interface (EDI) Claim must be submitted to our office for payment. In addition, legible documentation that supports your claim, such as ER Notes, must be submitted either by fax (814) 860-2672 or by mail to the address above. Documentation must be received before your claim(s) can be processed for payment. F. Physician orders for renewal and additional home care contract orders should be directed to the Primary Care Provider/Case Manager via the VAMC Telephone Liaison Care Program at (814) 860-8589 or 1-800-274-8387.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/ErVAMC562/ErVAMC562/VA24411RP0126/listing.html)
 

Document(s)

Attachment
 

File Name: VA-244-11-RP-0126 VA-244-11-RP-0126_2.doc (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=177055&FileName=VA-244-11-RP-0126-000.doc)

Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=177055&FileName=VA-244-11-RP-0126-000.doc

 

Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
 

Record

SN02381169-W 20110218/110216234153-03d09e34b9134060f245651f13486857 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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