Health Care Financing Administration, Acquisition and Grants Group, C2-21-15, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD., 21244-1850

B -- IMPLEMENTING THE HEDIS MEDICARE HEALTH OUTCOMES SURVEY POC Dawn L. Tucker, Contract Specialist -- 410-786-5162 E-MAIL: Submit here to contact the contract specialist via, dtucker@hcfa.gov. The Health Care Financing Administration is committed to the implementation of quality assessment processes in Medicare Health Plans. HEDIS is a set of defined measures used to assess the health care quality provided by managed care plans. Purchasers, especially large purchasers such as corporations, use these data to evaluate plan performance. NCQA sponsors, supports, and maintains HEDIS . In 1998, HEDIS 3.0 represented a significant extension in the range of health care services being evaluated, including an outcomes measure initially entitled the Health of Seniors. During the first year of implementation, HCFA renamed the measure the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) to reflect the inclusion of disabled beneficiaries under the age of sixty-five. The Medicare Health Outcomes Survey uses the SF-36 (a self-reported measure of functional status) to assess the health status of Medicare beneficiaries in managed care. The HOS measure is designed to measure the physical and mental health functioning of Medicare beneficiaries at the beginning and end of a two-year period. The results will be used to guide quality improvement project activities. It is the first outcome measure used by HCFA and was implemented nationally in May 1998. This effort will ensure that the Health Outcomes Survey data are turned into usable and actionable information. HCFA is requiring Medicare Managed Care plans to collect and report data following the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey protocols. These data will help purchasers and beneficiaries to evaluate and compare plans. The period of performance shall be a base year plus two one year options. Telephone requests will NOT be honored. THE RFP PACKAGE IS NOT AVAILABLE. Interested parties should submit a capability statement to Dawn L. Tucker, Contract Specialist, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 or email adddress dtucker@hcfa.gov, and HCFA will make a determination regarding the applicant's qualifications. Posted 05/19/00 (W-SN456579). (0140)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0031 20000523\B-0014.SOL)