Description
Program/Equipment: Digital Accessible Personal Health Electronic Record (DAPHER) Authority: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.501(a)(2)(ii). Amount: $799,997.90 1. Contracting Activity: Center for Health Care Contracting, MEDCOM Health Care Acquisition Activity, 2107 17th St., Bldg 4197, Ste 68, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-5068. 2. Description of Action: This is a new requirement, Firm Fixed Price, for the period of performance 29 Sep 2009 to 28 Sep 2010. This approval is being requested for the purchase of services to convert medical and dental records in a secured and digital format in order to provide military personnel with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act accessibility. The records and documents to be managed are vital and require high quality resolution during the imaging process. The type of funds to be used is DHP. 3. Description of Supplies/Services: Implementation and advancement of the Digital Accessible Personal Health Electronic Record (DAPHER) initiative to convert and provide military personnel with the Section 508 accessible medical and dental records in a secure, digital format. Service members on active duty, or upon separation, will be able to access his/her private, personal health record formatted to be reviewed regardless of physical or cognitive disability or limitation. This service is currently not available and resulted from a pilot project administered through the Department of Defense in FY2006. The cost of the DAPHER is $799,997.90. 4. Authority Cited: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.501(a)(2)(ii). 5. Reason for Authority Cited: (The approporiation FY2009 Budget mandate purchase service for DAPHER from VASTEC Inc (See Attached e-mail)). VASTEC, Inc formerly affiliated with OTH Services, Inc., is a provider of compliant, knowledge management, service and content information. The DAPHER project accelerates the conversion of military personnel health and dental records in a format compatible with existing assistive technology, handheld wireless devices and Section 508 accessibility requirements. In FY2006, a pilot project was sponsored by Congress for the development of technology and delivery system that would allow service members, regardless of physical or cognitive disability or limitation, to review their private, personal health records. Now completed and available for use, DAPHER will be compliment with existing Electronic Medical Records Projects, focused on physicians and clinical needs, by providing personnel an opportunity to review his/her own pertinent health information. Since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the need for disability awareness and resources has become even more prevalent with the returning Warfighers. Over 100,000 American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines have been wounded while serving our country; therefore, it is even more imperative to allow these Warfighers equal access to their health information in a format that is accessible by all. The DAPHER initiative helps personnel who have a need to know about his/her health conditions in order to better understand his/her health posture. By granting access to these health records, this project will also relieve the burden on physicians and hospital administration by eliminating the need to reproduce cumbersome paper records. Item Name: Digital Accessible Personal Health Electronic Record (DAPHER). The following is information from the Appropriation FY2009 Budget: Account: Defense Health Program Intended Recipient: VASTEC, Inc. formally name (OTH Services) President: Sara G. Royer c/o 700 Des Moines Building 405 Sixth Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50309 6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: There are currently no efforts to obtain competition for this acquisition. This requirement will not be competed since it is specifically Congressionally earmarked funding for VASTEC, Inc. 7. Actions to Increase Competition: This requirement will be posted as sole source procurement in FedBizOps. 8. Market Research: A Statement of Need was developed, by MEDCOM PASBA, with five requirements to ensure that the vendors that were contacted would have the capability to meet those needs. Specifically, the requirements are: Section 508 compliant with the Rehabilitation Act, Adobe 9.0 PDF searchable images, Optical Character Resignation (OCR), Secure File Transfer Protocols (SFTP), and the ability to convert optical images into digitized records. Five vendors were contacted OTH Services (now VASTEC, Inc), McKesson, GE Healthcare, Siemens, and Med Quist - via conventions and/or demonstrations at PASBA to determine a fair market price for the digitations initiative. Costing is reflective in the Independent Government Estimate (IGE) provided. 9. Interested Sources: There were no written expressed interests received in this project to date. IAW FAR 5.201, Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions, the requirement will be posted in FedBizOpps, as a sole source requirement, but any proposals received will only be considered if they meet all the customers requirements from their Statement of Need. 10. Other Facts: The DHP O&M funding identified was earmarked by Senator Harkin, and approved from Congress for this specific program and a specific contractor (VASTEC, Inc. formally known as OTH Services). The failure to utilize these earmarked funding for the identified project will impact PASBAs mission of making our wounded Soldiers medical records compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.