Health Care Financing Administration,Ofc of Acquisition & Grants; 2- 18-03 Central Bldg;7500 Security Blvd;Baltimore,MD 21244-1850

R -- R-REARCH & DEVELOPMENT SOURCES SOUGHT - OPEN ENROLLMENT POC Edwiena P. Edwards, Contract Specialist, 410/786-1607. The Health Care Financing Administration will be soliciting proposals from ALL sources to conduct an open enrollment project for Medicare beneficiaries in three geographically separate demonstration sites. Open enrollment is a major component of a competitive pricing demonstration designed to introduce market economic forces into Medicare's method of paying managed care plans. This project will provide maximum information to beneficiaries who will choose a health care option (fee for service, managed care, supplemental plan coverage). The contractor must 1)educate and inform Medicare beneficiaries about their health care options; 2) conduct outreach activities and encourage Medicare beneficiaries to receive the education and information; and 3)act as the enrollment contact for Medicare beneficiaries who elect managed care. This is expected to be a three year contract. Each year of the contract will contain a 30-day coordinated open enrollment period during which intensive efforts in the above three activities will be required. During the remainder of each contract year, the same activities will be required but at lower levels of effort. The contractor must have experience or capacity to obtain expertise on: 1)counseling and educating beneficiaries about the Medicare program (through in-person discussions, mailings, information seminars, telephone inquiries, and media interventions); 2)conducting outreach designed to generate interest in open enrollment (through alliance building with senior community groups, public service announcements, and promotional materials); and 3)actually enrolling Medicare, Medicaid or other publicly sponsored beneficiaries into managed care plans (through electronic communication that interfaces with HCFA's Group Health Plan System's data bases or similar type of data bases). The contractor will (1) develop a detailed workplan and schedule of all activities required to conduct the open enrollment in coordination with HCFA and its contractors; (2) conduct outreach activities; (3) educate and counsel Medicare beneficiaries; (4) work with a Government Printing Office contractor to coordinate the printing and mailing of information packages to all beneficiaries residing in the demonstration sites; (5) work with health plans participating in the demonstration to coordinate the transfer of information required by the contractor to conduct outreach, education, and enrollment; (6)develop and implement information collection systems that measure volume, content, satisfaction, and results of the contractor's outreach and education activities; (7) develop and operate an electronic system to enroll beneficiaries in health plans that will be utilized throughout a 30-day coordinated open enrollment period at a high activity level and thereafter at a low activity level; (8) develop and operate an electronic system to disenroll beneficiaries from health plans; and (9) develop and implement methods of communication with beneficiaries who request enrollment but must furnish additional information in order to be enrolled in specific health plans. The three geographic areas where the demonstration will occur are unknown at this time but will consist of metorpolitan statistical areas containing from 250,000 to 350,000 Medicare beneficiaries. A large percentage of beneficiaries in these areas are expected to request information, attend counseling sessions, and request enrollment in managed care options. The contractor must be free of all appearances of or actual conflicts of interest. The contractor must not have any relationships or arrangements through its business operations or its employees that could be considered as possibly lessening the organization's objectivity concerning any aspect of the open enrollment process. HCFA is interested in responses to this notice from all qualified sources. However, sources whose size status qualifies them as a small business under SIC Code 8742 (Management Consultative Services Not Elsewhere Classified), which has an annual small business size standard not to exceed $5 million per FAR 19.102, should identify themselves as such. This Sources Sought synopsis is for information purposes only, it does not constitute an RFP and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. Concerns that respond to this notice must furnish concise responses directed specifically to the requirements mentioned above. Sources possessing experience and demonstrating capability to accomplish the above are to supply pertinent information in sufficient detail to demonstrate the ability to perform the required services. Information furnished should include background information, and an outline of previous similar projects. It should be substantiated by complete and detailed examples of organizational experience and be no longer that thirty (30) pages (including attachments). Interested parties who believe they can meet these requirements should submit their tailored capability statements to the attention of the Contract Specialist at the address above no later April 1, 1996. (0078)

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