Department of Veterans Affairs, Chief, Acquisition & Materiel Management Svc.(90C), Alvin C. York VA Medical Center, 3400 Lebanon Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37129

R -- TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES SOL rfq 622-14-00 DUE 032900 POC Bill Dunn (615) 867-6096: alternate poc Annette Gaessler (615) 867-6093 This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation no. RFQ 622-14-00 is issued as a Request For Quotations. Incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-15. The Standard Industrial Code (SIC) is 7389 and the small business size standard is $5 million. Contract will be firm, fixed-price. Total set-aside for Small Business. Requirement is to provide to the VA Outpatient Clinic, Chattanooga, TN FOB destination, all necessary equipment, supplies, parts, materials, support equipment, labor and supervision required to perform all transcription services as described in the schedule and statement of work. Contract period is from April1, 2000, or date of award whichever is later, through March 31, 2001. The Government may exercise its option to award additional one year contracts for two (2) option years. It is estimated that the annual volume will 400,000 lines. The work required under these specifications consists of providing complete medical transcription services to the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic, Chattanooga, TN (VAOPC). Dictation will consist primarily of (but not limited to) medical reports such as Physical Examination, Consultation Report, Progress Note and Compensation and Pension Examination. The contractor will provide, at the contractor's location, central digital dictation system accessible via toll-free telephone from anywhere within the continental United States. The dictation system must be capable of handling a minimum of eight (8) concurrent dictations from the VAOPC. The dictation equipment must: Be accessible to VAOPC authors round-the-clock, seven days per week via a single telephone number. Verbally acknowledge access and verbally prompt for Author ID, Report Type and Patient ID.Be configured to log date and time of dictations as well as to recognize and log Touch Tone codes for: (1) Author ID (5 digits) (2) Report Type Code (2 digits) (3) Patient ID (9 digits). Automatically log date, time and total length of dictation. Have rewind/fast forward, playback and editing of dictation capability. Have "STAT" designation capability for any dictation. Have verbal completion acknowledgment, have "Listen" capability available to designated personnel. TRANSCRIPTION: GENERAL: All dictation will be transcribed as per approved format. This includes the History & Physical Examination, Intake Interview, Consultation Report, Progress Note and Compensation and Pension Examination: (1) All transcription will be done in English. Material dictated includes a high incidence of technical terminology and requires a comprehensive knowledge of the specialized vocabulary particular to a wide variety of medical subjects, including, but not limited to, cardiology, dentistry, general medicine, general surgery, neurology, psychiatry, radiology, endocrinology, pathology, nuclear medicine and others. (2) Dictating is done by different physicians, students and other personnel, many with foreign accents. Transcription requires adaptation to variations in speech, tone, voice volume, speed, delivery, pronunciation and enunciation (3) Transcription will be performed by contractor's personnel on contractor's word processor or similar equipment for transmission to the VAOPC. Absolute security of patient/hospital information must be accomplished. The Privacy Act is incorporated into the solicitation and will be made part of any contract resulting therefrom. (4) Any transcribed page containing typographical or spelling errors may, at the option of the government, be returned to the contractor for re-type. (5) The amount of work will be measured by line count, which will be calculated at eighty (80) twelve (12) pitch characters per line. Typed lines of less than eighty (80) characters per line may be billed as a full line when use of a carriage return is required. The number of lines should appear at the bottom of each report transcribed, as well as in aggregate for printed batches. (6) All transcribed reports will be returned to VAOPC via modem according to the following scheme (The contractor will be provided with appropriate access): (a) All transcribed Discharge Summaries will be uploaded into the Discharge Summary reporting system. (b) All transcribed Progress Notes will be uploaded into the Progress Note reporting system. (c) All transcribed Compensation and Pension reports will be uploaded into the Progress Note reporting system. (d) All other reports not specifically uploaded into designated reporting packages, will be appropriately formatted and uploaded for printing to a designated VISTA report printer. NOTE: It is the contractor's responsibility to appropriately format bottom, top, left and right margins, as well as all test intended to be printed on the reports to be uploadedand it is the contractor's responsibility to provide it. (7) In addition the contractor is required to (a) Provide a dictation log covering midnight to midnight of previous day's dictation (Friday through Sunday on weekends) showing date, time, report type, author identification, patient identification and length of dictation. This will be transmitted to a designated VISTA report printer by 10:00 a.m. VAOPC time each business day. (b) Provide a transcription log covering midnight to midnight of all the previous day's transcription (Friday through Sunday on weekends) showing patient name, social security number, report type, dictation date, transcription date, author name and dictation system reference number (Job Number). This report will be transmitted to the designated report printer by 10:00 a.m. VAOPC time each business day. This report will be in three (3) formats (1) In alphabetical order by patient's last name. (2)In date/time order of dictation. (3)In alphabetical order by author. (c) Archive all transcribed reports for a minimum of six (6) months after transcription and provide retransmitted copies within four (4) hours of request by VA personnel. (d) Provide VA personnel with telephone access to the contractor representative toll-free. DELIVERY AND TURNAROUND TIME: Stat Reports will be transcribed and sent for printing to the designated report printer within four (4) business hours (weekends and holidays excluded). NOTE: The VA may designate a report not specifically dictated stat as such after dictation. Routine Reports will be transcribed and either uploaded or sent for printing to the designated report printer within twenty-four (24) hours of dictation (weekends and holidays excluded). APPLICABLE REGULATIONS, MANUALS, SPECIFICATIONS: Regulations: Documents applicable to this contract are listed below. These documents are mandatory. At the start of this contract the government shall provide one (1) copy of all mandatory regulations, manuals and specifications listed below to the contractor, The contractor shall update supplements and amendments upon receipt. The policies and procedures of mandatory directives shall be adhered to at all times. It is the contractor's responsibility to provide standard reference materials (English language dictionary, medical terminology dictionary, etc.) normally available to commercial businesses or the general public. (1) JCAHO standards for medical records. (2) VA Department of Medicine and Surgery medical records policies. (a) M-1, Part I, Chapter 5, "Medical Records" (b) M-1, Part I, Chapter 9, "Release of Medical Information" (c) M-1, Part II, Chapter 21, Appendix A, "Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-579)". Procedures Manual: The contractor's basic manual shall be available for review by the Pre-award Survey Team and approved before award of contract. MISCELLANEOUS: The contractor is responsible to check medical and English dictionaries and other reliable reference sources as needed for distinguishing between similar sounding medical, pharmaceutical, surgical, radiological and laboratory terms. The contractor will insure that the date dictated, dictator's initials, date transcribed and transcriptionist's initials appear on each document. All unintelligible words or phrases should be blank with notes attached identifying the patient's name, type of report, page number and line number of the blank. (Blanks will not be counted as errors). Any transcribed report considered unacceptable by the VA will be returned to the contractor for retyping at no charge. Abbreviations should not appear on the Discharge Summary in the space designated for final diagnosis, operations and non O.R. procedures. Abbreviations dictated by the medical staff member should be translated into English text by transcriber (contractor). The following provisions and clauses shall apply to this solicitation: FAR 52.212-1 Instructions To Offerors -- Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation of Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items apply to this request. Pursuant to 52.212-2 The Government intends to make a single award to the responsible Small Business Offeror whose offer is the most advantageous to the Government. Award will be based equally on (1) Past Performance (Offeror should submit a list of firms for whom they have provided service of the same type and magnitude as this one. List should include dates of performance and dollar value as well as names, telephone numbers, etc., of points of contact within firms) (2) Price. The following clauses and or provisions are added by addendum: 852.233-70 Protest content. (JAN 1998), 852.233-71 Alternate Protest Procedure. (JAN 1998), 52.232-19 Availability of Funds for the Next Fiscal Year. (APR 1984), Estimated Quantities(JUL 1989), 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services. (AUG 1989), 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract. (MAR 1989), 52.233-2 Service of Protest. (AUG 1996) Questions may be sent to the contracting officer via mail to: Bill Dunn (90C) at the Alvin C. York VAMC, 3400 Lebanon Pike, Murfreesboro, TN 37129, via FAX to (615) 867-5764. Proposals shall include all information required in 52.212-1 and a completed copy of provision 52.212-3. Offers must be submitted to the attention of Bill Dunn (90C) at the Alvin C. York VAMC, 3400 Lebanon Pike, Murfreesboro, TN 37129. All offers must be received not later than close of business (4:00 PM C.S.T.) on 3-29-00. Late offers will NOT be accepted. Discussion will be held only if necessary. Posted 03/09/00 (W-SN432701). (0069)

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