Loren Data Corp.

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COMMERCE BUSINESS DAILY ISSUE OF APRIL 14,1998 PSA#2073

DHHS, HCFA, Health Care Financing Administration, Acquisition and Grants Group, Division of Quality Contracts, 7500 Security Boulevard, C2-21-15, Baltimore, Maryland

Q -- PROMOTE EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS THAT FACILITATE HEALTHY AGING AMONG MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES AGED 65 AND OLDER SOL RFP-98-0007/BG DUE 051498 POC Beverly Gillette, Contract Specialist, 410-786-5142 and Edward Hughes, Contracting Officer, 410-786-0203 The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) will issue Solicitation #RFP-98-0007/BG approximately 30 days after publication of this notice to develop an evidence-based center on Healthy Aging, which will serve as the most scientifically reliable and up-to-date resource on interventions that preserve health and postpone chronic disease and disability in people aged 65 and older. Research suggests that a major portion of the physical decline among the elderly is caused more by the absence of comprehensive health promotion and disease prevention strategies than by aging. Successful interventions targeting the factors that contribute to the most prevalent chronic diseases exist, but are not widely known and practiced. HCFA is interested in using the best available science to identify those interventions that have demonstrated measurable success in reducing behavioral risk factors, such as smoking, physical inactivity, falls, hypertension, and nutrition, and improving the use of clinical preventive and screening services, such as mammography, colorectal cancer screening, and immunization. The goals of the healthy aging project are to: 1) identify, analyze and synthesize the scientific evidence on health promotion and disease prevention interventions, from published and unpublished sources, that promote healthy aging; and 2) pilot test one or more behavioral risk factor interventions for effectiveness with Medicare beneficiaries. The contractor selected will conduct literature reviews, perform supplemental analyses, synthesize results using advanced analytic techniques and write two evidence reports -- one on interventions that promote the use of clinical preventive and screening services, and one on interventions that reduce behavioral risk factors. The evidence reports will include results of completed analyses with explicit documentation; present findings in the context of a multi-disciplinary understanding of issues related to health care for older people; extract principles that enhance the probability of cost-effective implementation of interventions and will be presented in the context of public policy, outcomes measurement, as well as behavioral and clinical disciplines. Based on research findings, the selected contractor will design one or more behavioral risk factor reduction interventions to pilot test for effectiveness and cost-effectiveness with Medicare beneficiaries. Two key skill sets will be required: ability to synthesize and analyze evidence; and quality improvement/applied research. Since all of these skills and expertise may not exist in one party, HCFA encourages a prime contractor-subcontractor relationship to conduct the activities of this contract. The contractor will design, implement and evaluate the pilot intervention(s), and write a detailed report on the results of the intervention(s) which is suitable for publication in a scientific journal. The report will include the impact of the pilot intervention(s), evaluation methods used, including outcomes measured, cost benefit/effectiveness analysis, recommendations for further refinements and implementation strategies, and Medicare program implications. The contractor must have core competencies demonstrating experience and expertise in the following areas: geriatrics, gerontology, epidemiology, preventive medicine, behavioral sciences, nursing, intervention research, public policy, economics, decision analysis, meta-analyses, technology assessments, searching science databases, retrieving and abstracting scientific literature, evaluating scientific credibility of published studies, and writing scientific reports. The contractor must also have experience and expertise in applied research, quality improvement techniques, and health promotion and disease prevention interventions targeting the elderly. It is anticipated that a Cost-Reimbursement Task Order contract will be awarded (but HCFA reserves the right to award other types of contract arrangements) with a one year period of performance plus 4 one-year options. Requests for a copy of the solicitation must be submitted via Internet (healthyaging@hcfa.gov) or in writing to: HCFA, Acquisition and Grants Group, Division of Quality Contracts, ATTN: Beverly Gillette, Mail Stop C2-21-15, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850. No telephone, facsimile or telegraphic requests will be accepted. (0100)

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