5600 Fishers Lane, Room 13A-19 Rockville, MD 20857

R -- ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF INCREASED DENTAL MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT RATES IN THE UTILIZATION AND ACCESS TO DENTAL SERVICES IN SOUTH CAROLINA SOL HRSA-250-OA-14(0) DUE 060500 POC Helene Braun, Contract Specialist, 301-443-5131 The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) proposes to negotiate a contract on a sole source basis with the Medical University of South Carolina, 171 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, to evaluate the impact of increased Medicaid dental fees on children's utilization of dental services and access to dental care. The study will also include an analysis of the supply of dentists that accept Medicaid relative to the population and the geographic distribution before and after the fee increase. In addition, it will assess changes in the utilization patterns of preventive and restorative care, and will examine the feasibility of developing performance measures that could be tracked using Medicaid data. The Medical University of South Carolina is uniquely qualified to perform this work because 1) the South Carolina Office of Medical Assistance requires assurances of privacy and confidentiality before data is shared with other Government agencies. The Medical University of South Carolina has an ongoing working relationship with the South Carolina Office of Medical Assistance and the Carolina Medical Review and is currently working on other projects that require the use of individual Medicaid claims data. This collaborative relationship and the experience with Medicaid claims and encounter data is critical for this study; and 2) the Medical University of South Carolina has Oral Epidemiologists on their staff with experience in evaluating dental health care systems and analyzing National and state data that is relevant to oral health. Based on the above, the Medical University of South Carolina is deemed the only responsible source capable of providing the required work and services as set forth in 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1) -- only one responsible source. A Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition has been prepared by the Government. Interested parties may, in writing, identify their interest and capabilities to respond to this requirement within 15 days from date of publication of this notice. Reference solicitation no. 250-OA-14(0). See Note 22. Posted 04/13/00 (W-SN444553). (0104)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0069 20000417\R-0004.SOL)