Home and Community-Based Services
Performance-Based Incentive Payment Program
(HCBS PIPP)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR
Minnesota Health Care Program (MHCP) Enrolled Providers
Authorized to provide service under at least one of the Medical Assistance Home and Community-Based Waiver Programs, the Alternative Care Program or State Plan-funded Home Care Services
11/12/2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. PURPOSE OF REQUEST 3
B. OBJECTIVE OF THIS RFP 3
C. OVERVIEW 4
D. TASKS AND DELIVERABLES 4
E. PROPOSAL FORMAT 5
Proposal Sections Error! Bookmark not defined.
F. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION 8
H. STATE’S RIGHTS RESERVED 11
I. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 11
A. PURPOSE OF REQUEST
The Minnesota Department of Human Services, Continuing Care Administration (State), is seeking to fund innovative Proposals from providers who serve people with disabilities and/or older adults through at least one of the Medical Assistance (MA) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Programs, including providers of intermediate care facilities for persons with developmental disabilities; the Alternative Care Program and/or MA State Plan-funded Home Care Services Program. The Department is interested in supporting provider-initiated projects aimed at improving the quality of home and community-based services delivered to older adults and people with disabilities.
B. OBJECTIVE OF THIS RFP
The objective of this RFP is to provide additional service payments as an incentive for selected providers to implement time-limited quality improvement projects as authorized in Minnesota Statutes, § 256B.439, subd. 5. Any provider that serves people with disabilities and/or older adults through at least one of the MA HCBS Waiver Programs (MN Statutes 256B.0915, 256B.092, 256B.49 and 256B.5013) and/or the Alternative Care Program (MN Statute 256B.0913), including providers of intermediate care facilities for persons with developmental disabilities, (MN Statute 256B.5013) is invited to submit a Proposal in response to this RFP. Proposals will also be accepted from providers of MA State Plan-funded Home Care Services (MN Statute 256B.0651). These providers are excluded from the current legislation authorizing this program. No awards will be given to home care provider applicants selected through this process until legislation is enacted to include them as an eligible entity.
Funding available to implement projects under this provision for fiscal year ending June 30, 2015 will be up to $3.6 million state share, or up to $7.2 million contingent on federal approval of matching funds. Funding will be available beginning April 1, 2014, with an anticipated start date for the selected projects of May 15, 2014. The start date will be based on when the first additional service payment is made to the selected providers and will be no later than June 30, 2014.
In selecting Proposals to receive funding, the State will consider the geographic distribution of the Proposals, the range of provider types that would be involved and the age and type of disabilities of the populations that would be affected. Due to the diversity of providers that are eligible to submit Proposals under this RFP, the State anticipates that a range of total incentive payment funding will be made with the larger amounts equaling no more than approximately 25% of the applicant’s total MA reimbursement. The State is interested in supporting the quality improvement efforts of small, medium-size and large providers and encourages providers to submit budgets that cover the costs of the proposed quality improvement project.
Final selection decisions are at the sole discretion, and the best interests, of the State. The term of any resulting agreement is anticipated to range from 12 to 18 months, with an additional 6 months for performance reporting. Providers risk losing up to 20% of their project funding if they fail to achieve timely and successful implementation of the objectives stated in their approved work plan.
Completed Proposals must be emailed to: . Electronic submission of Proposals must be received by 4:00 p.m. Central Time on Monday, January 13, 2014.
C. OVERVIEW
In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature authorized the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to implement a Home and Community-Based Services Performance-Based Incentive Payment Program (HCBS PIPP). The HCBS PIPP supports provider-initiated projects to improve the quality and efficiency of home and community-based services delivered to older adults and people with disabilities. The HCBS PIPP will:
· Support efforts to improve quality and increase efficiency of home and community-based services;
· Demonstrate how evidence-based or evidence-informed practices can improve the quality and efficiency of services;
· Encourage providers to innovate and take risks;
· Foster collaboration and shared learning both within and between provider organizations;
· Establish a business case for investment in better quality from the perspective of multiple stakeholders – MA, providers, and consumers; and
· Identify the key elements of successful quality improvement efforts, their costs and benefits, and how they might be disseminated across the home and community-based services industry.
The goal of this RFP is to draw upon the knowledge and creativity of providers as well as best practices in home and community-based services that have shown to be effective or hold promise of effectiveness. The State is interested in Proposals that include specific strategies to achieve any or all of the three broad goals outlined below. These goals are consistent with Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan, currently under development, which seeks to increase the number of people with disabilities of all ages who receive services that best meet their needs in the most integrated setting.
· Improve the quality of life of home and community-based services participants in a measurable way. This could include improving participant self-reported quality of life, participant functioning in everyday activities, improving participant health status (clinical or functional), preventing the onset of secondary conditions, reducing the rate of adverse health events, increasing the engagement of participants in their community in a manner that reflects individual goals and preferences, or increasing access to competitive employment.
· Improve the quality of services in a measurable way. This could be achieved by increasing the coordination of HCBS with other services, improving transitions between settings, increasing the person-centeredness of services and service delivery, gathering and using consumer feedback to inform service delivery, facilitating the elimination of aversive practices through the use of positive behavior supports, or increasing the capacity of the direct service workforce.
· Deliver good quality service more efficiently. Improving efficiency implies achieving better service-related outcomes without increasing cost or achieving good outcomes for less cost. This could include the use of new technologies, new management or organizational strategies, and other ideas that lead to measurable changes in costs and/or quality.
D. TASKS AND DELIVERABLES
· Participate in the Age and Disabilities Odyssey Conference
· Share lessons learned and best practices with other selected providers
· Provide 6-month project status reports, including project-specific performance measurement results, in a timely manner
· Submit data as needed to help the State better understand the financial implications of a specified strategy
· Comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws
· Meet timelines specified in the Proposal
· Provide evidence of progress in achieving the goals/outcomes of the project
· All products and services developed must meet the State of Minnesota accessibility standards and guidelines. The goal of the Accessibility Standard is to improve the accessibility and usability of information technology products and services for all users. The standard incorporates the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
E. PROPOSAL FORMAT
Proposals must conform to all instructions, conditions, and requirements included in the RFP. Responders are expected to examine all documentation and other requirements. Failure to observe the terms and conditions in completion of the Proposal are at the Responder’s risk and may, at the discretion of the State, result in disqualification of the Proposal for nonresponsiveness. Acceptable Proposals must offer services identified in Section II - Scope of Work and agree to the contract conditions specified throughout the RFP.
Proposals must be submitted electronically using the HCBS PIPP 2014 Application Form along with a completed HCBS PIPP 2014 Budget Worksheet Form. These forms are available on the DHS website: http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/HCBSPIPP. The application form is divided into several sections outlined below. Each section must be completed. The Proposal Review Criteria are attached to each section. An instruction manual for completion of the form is also available on the DHS website: http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/HCBSPIPP. It is critical that you review the instruction manual carefully. You will find examples for the required sections in the application form. These examples are fictitious and only written to assist you in preparing your Proposal. The examples are not intended to convey a topic area that would receive priority by the selection committee.
Proposal Sections
Abstract (25 points): Maximum 1,500 characters including spaces. Applicant should write a brief description of the proposed project, including: the goal, the list of objectives and the proposed performance measure. The Abstract should summarize the Responder’s overall design of the project to achieve the goals as defined in this RFP. The Abstracts from successful applicants will be posted on the DHS public website.
Description of Applicant Agency/Organization Information (100 points)
Section 1: Name(s), location(s) and contact information
Complete the fields included on the form. Be sure to include the contact information and NPI/UMPI for each provider and provider location that will participate in the proposed project.
Section 2: Brief overview of provider agency or provider collaborative
Maximum 5,000 characters including spaces. This section must include a brief description of the current programs and activities of the provider agency or provider collaborative. Specify which MA service(s) the agency provides. Applicant must include the total number of people served and the number and proportion of MA recipients served, and any pertinent demographic characteristics including race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Applicant must describe the geographic area served. Applicant must also indicate how consumers and families will be involved in the leadership, implementation and evaluation of the proposed project.
If the applicant is a provider collaborative, include a description of the collaborative leadership plan and expectations from the members of the collaborative.
Section 3: Introduction of project and link to one or more goals in the RFP
Maximum 2,000 characters including spaces. Include a brief introduction of the proposed project and describe how the project supports one or more of the goals outlined in the RFP: (1) improve the quality of life of home and community-based services participants in a measurable way; (2) improve the quality of services in a measurable way; (3) deliver good quality service more efficiently. Indicate the scope of the proposed project by providing the total number and percent of participants that will be affected and the number and percent of these participants who are MA recipients.
Impact/Need (150 points): Maximum 7,500 characters including spaces.
Section 4: Description of the problem to be solved
Applicant must describe the problem by answering the following questions. Applicants are encouraged to use both qualitative and quantitative data.
· What story is your data telling you? Discuss your data trends (compare to previous performance or compare to state averages, industry standards, etc.).
· Why is it a problem? Why is this project needed for your organization or in your community?
· What impact is this problem having on participants, family members, staff and others? How many people are affected? How many MA participants are affected?
· How significant is the impact? To what degree does the problem impact the quality of life or the health and functional status of participants?
· What might be the consequences of not solving the problem?
· What is your vision? What is the difference between the way things are now and the way you want them to be? When your project is successful, how will things be different?
Section 5: Description of the process to discover the root cause(s) of the problem
Applicant should describe this process by answering the following questions.
· What you have discovered so far? Quality improvement is an evolving process and you may make new discoveries as you progress, however you must have some understanding of the causes before you propose strategies.
· What are the specific steps you are now taking to achieve a particular result? Define your current process, taking into account policies, staff roles, flow of activities, etc. Also think about how your physical environment and/or current culture may hinder or support the process.
· What are the systemic causes of the problem? What are the perspectives of different staff, participants, family members, and others? Categorize these perspectives regarding potential causes into environment, equipment, people, methods and materials, and look for dominant patterns.
Project Goals, Outcomes and Activities (Implementation Plan) (250 points): Maximum 4,000 characters including spaces.
Section 6: Description of the strategies to address the problem
This section must include a description of the proposed strategies to address the problem identified above. Applicants are encouraged to research existing models or interventions, especially those that have been proven to be effective (evidence-based or evidence-informed). The description should answer the following questions:
· What do you propose to do? What is the precise nature of the intervention? Describe the connection between the proposed intervention and your description of the problem.
· What is the scope of the proposed intervention? Describe the geographic area, proportion of total population targeted, proportion of total MA participants targeted and service/program areas involved.
· What is your plan to implement the project? What is your road map?
· Who is going to do what? Describe staff roles, leadership, committee formation and any outside parties involved.
Section 7: Workplan with timeline
Insert a workplan with a timeline. This may include a planning and training phase that should begin shortly after notification that the Proposal was accepted. Describe what will be done, who will do it, and when it will be done. Include information about how you will audit and monitor the project to be sure everything is happening and that course corrections are taken when needed.