Analysis and use of health information systems (HIS)

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Request for Information Number: RFI-294-14-000003

Notice Type: Special Notice / Sources Sought – Request for Information

Subject: USAID/West Bank & Gaza Request for Information from qualified Palestinian organizations in the West Bank and International Organizations regarding the analysis and use of health information systems (HIS) data to enhance efficiencies in the Palestinian health system.

Issuance Date: April 16, 2014

Closing Date: April 30, 2014

Closing Time: 5 pm Tel Aviv Time

This announcement is a Request for Information (RFI), issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP) or Request for Applications (RFA). Responses to this RFI shall not be portrayed as applications and will not be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding agreement. This RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue any solicitation or ultimately award of a contract or cooperative agreement on the basis of this RFI, or to pay for any information submitted as a result of this request. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

If a funding opportunity is released in the form of a RFP or RFA, it will be synopsized in fedbizopps.gov or grants.gov. It is the potential applicant’s responsibility to monitor the site for the release of any further information. It should be noted that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any subsequent procurement. USAID/West Bank & Gaza will not provide answers to any question submitted in response to this request.

USAID/West Bank & Gaza works to strengthen the institutional capacity, management, and governance structures of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) various ministries, including the Ministry of Health (MoH). The Mission’s activities are intended to directly improve the PA’s readiness to perform its role in a future Palestinian state. Within the Mission’s health portfolio, the emphasis is to strengthen the quality and efficiency of health services in the West Bank through the use of data from the MoH’s electronic Health Information System (HIS) by improving efficiencies and enhancing clinical and management practices.

Since 2011, and with USAID support, the MoH has installed the Avicenna HIS in many of its facilities. This system is designed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals by helping them improve not only medical quality of patient care services but also tracking human resources, financial, and service costs. The HIS covers hospital processes providing modules to support healthcare services in tracking operations and health care services in one unified electronic system. At the end of September 2014, it is anticipated that the HIS will be functional in eight MoH hospitals, seven clinics, and several central MoH departments such as tracking the blood bank and the central pharmaceutical warehouse inventory. It is also anticipated that all remaining MoH hospitals and large clinics will have the HIS within the next three years.

USAID/West Bank & Gaza is seeking specific feedback on the use of HIS data including (1) quality improvements and cost impact in the Palestinian Health System and (2) whether there are interested local organizations with adequate capacity to carry out work as described below.

1. Quality Improvements and Efficiency/Cost Savings Impact in the Palestinian Health System (three pages maximum)

The concepts described in this RFI build on the existing HIS in the West Bank area and are intended to advance the use of HIS data to promote evidence-based decision making. Specifically, how the use of HIS data can be used to identify quality improvements and to enhance administrative and financial practices within the health sector while ensuring the quality of HIS data. The process would include training MoH administrators and hospital staff to use HIS data to help improve quality and/or promote cost efficiencies, to help the MoH identify specific areas to target enhanced support, and again use HIS data to determine the effectiveness of an intervention.

Therefore, qualified organizations are asked to offer their feedback on potential cost savings and quality improvements that might be expected within the Palestinian health care system. USAID welcomes examples of both traditional and innovative measures of quality improvements, direct/indirect cost savings, high quality data and administrative efficiencies that may be applicable in the Palestinian health care system based on HIS installation in other countries with a similar socio-economic context. USAID is interested in estimating potential savings due to improved efficiencies and reduced recurrent costs from the use of HIS. Respondents are asked to indicate what would be a reasonable range for annual savings, $5-10 million, $10-15 million, other. Please show calculations, and assumptions for estimating such savings. Illustrative examples could include the following:

• Savings due to reduced patient wait times
• Increased patient time spent with health care providers
• Savings due to improved efficiencies in pharmaceutical management, medical supplies, and maintenance and operations
• Savings due to refined management of referrals
• Elimination of redundant medical and lab tests
• Improved medical outcomes

2. Local Organizations (two pages maximum)

This RFI seeks to identify local Palestinian organizations with appropriate skills in project management and technical expertise in working with health programs and specifically work related to information systems, data quality, quality health care, and measuring cost savings in the health sector. While this RFI is not to be construed as a commitment that any future solicitations in this area will be limited to local organizations, this RFI serves to notify the community that USAID/West Bank & Gaza is specifically interested in identifying local organizations that may have the capacity to implement the project described in this RFI.

Local organizations should briefly describe their qualifications, skills and capacity to assemble an adequate team to address the areas below:

• Technical capacity in health programming and clinical quality improvements,

health information systems, data mining and analytic tools, health financing ;
• Understanding of the Palestinian health sector and the unique context of the operational environment in the West Bank and the broader Middle East region;
• Experience with direct implementation of health programs using donor funds;
• Corporate experience managing a multi-million dollar annual budgets;
• Organizational capacity to oversee finances, sub-contracts, and donor relations;
• Existing or potential associations, consortiums, and partnerships (local, regional, or global) in the health sector.

Statements sent in responses to this RFI notice should not exceed 5 pages (including attachments and charts) using a 12-point font size.

Please do not submit applications, proposals, or resumes as they will be discarded. Responses will be held confidential. Proprietary information should not be sent. Submissions will not be acknowledged nor will responses be returned. USAID may use any information provided for planning purposes. USAID reserves the right to or not to incorporate any and all of your comments provided into a future solicitation.

Information provided in response to this RFI must be received in writing; telephone calls and hand carry will not be accepted. Information may be sent electronically in Microsoft Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf) by 5:00pm Tel Aviv time on April 30, 2014 to Nathan Hilgendorf, Contracting Officer, at nhilgendorf@usaid.gov.

All responses must be received by the specified due date and time.

Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID/West Bank and Gaza programs.