Health Information and Claims Processing Services

Trade Agreement: Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT)
Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid
Competitive Procurement Strategy: 
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Nature of Requirements: 

Health Information and Claims Processing Services

Purpose

The purpose of this notice is to advise the industry of the Health Information and Claims Processing Services (HICPS) requirement for Health Canada (HC), the Request for Information (RFI) #2 publication, and the concurrent Engagement activities.

1. NIHB Program Background

The Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program of the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) at Health Canada (HC) provides eligible registered First Nationsand recognized Inuit with a range of medically-necessary goods and services not provided through private insurance plans, provincial/territorial health and social programs or other publicly funded programs. These medically necessary benefits are: 

* Pharmacy (certain prescription and over-the-counter drugs); 
* Medical supplies and equipment;  
* Dental care; 
* Vision care; 
* Other health care services such as short-term crisis intervention mental health counselling; and
* Medical transportation to access medically required health services not available on reserve or in the community of residence (not part of the HICPS requirement).

NIHB is the largest program of HC, representing approximately 31% of the department's total budget and 46% of FNIHB's budget in 2013-14. Total annual expenditures for all NIHB benefit areas amounted to $1,029.1 million in fiscal year 2014-15.

As with other public and private plans, the NIHB Program does not provide direct services to clients. It relies mainly on pharmacists, dentists and other health providers to deliver services to clients. Through the Health Information and Claims Processing Services, the NIHB Program reimburses providers for the cost of eligible services. These services are essential to the NIHB Program's ability to fulfill its mandate to ensure access by First Nations and Inuit clients to needed health benefits. 

2.  HICPS Overview

HICPS includes all services and supporting systems used to process Non-Insured Health Benefits claims, supporting Providers with the processing and settlement of their claims, ensuring compliance with NIHB Program policies including audit, reporting and financial control practices, automated information management systems used to process and pay claims in accordance with NIHB Program client/benefit eligibility and pricing policies.

Since 1990, Canada has retained the services of a private sector contractor to administer the following core health information and claims processing services on its behalf:
* Requests and claims processing, adjudication and settlement; 
* Provider registration and communications;
* Payment and Financial operations; 
* Systems and services in support of the various NIHB operated Review, Prior-Approval, and Predetermination Centres. 
* Provider Audit program and audit recoveries; and
* Data retention, collection, analysis and reporting

NIHB Program uses this third party claims processor to review and process claims for the Pharmacy, Dental Care, and Medical Supplies and Equipment. In addition to ensuring claims are processed in a timely manner and in keeping with NIHB Program policies and rules, HICPS includes a range of pre-payment and post-payment controls (including a provider audit program that covers Provider Profiling, Next Day Claim Verification, Client Confirmation Program, On-Site and Desk audit), which help to ensure the accountability of the NIHB Program. In 2014-15 a total of 21.4 million claim lines were processed through HICPS.

3. Aboriginal Participation Component

The HICPS requirement will include an Aboriginal Participation Component (APC), which is a mechanism designed to meet the Government of Canada's objectives of encouraging Aboriginal socio-economic development through federalcontracting opportunities. The APC is designed to develop long-term sustainable and meaningful socio-economic benefits for Aboriginal people, businesses and communities and compliments the objectives of the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Businesses(PSAB). 

4. Request for Information #2

This RFI #2 initiates the Industry Engagement Phase 2 of this procurement project; the first of three planned phases has already been completed.

The purpose of RFI #1 was to inform industry of Health Canada's requirement for HICPS and to provide industry an opportunity to provide feedback on the requirement and subsequent engagement activities. Responses to that RFI assisted Canada in initiating a dialogue about the requirements and possible solutions.

The purpose of this second RFI is to resume the engagement activities from Engagement Phase 1 by summarizing the feedback received to date from industry regarding the existing technological innovations and current service-delivery best practices, and toshare with industry further details on Health Canada's claims processing requirements in support of the delivery of the Non Insured Health Benefits Program.  This RFI will provide industry an opportunity to provide feedback on the requirement and the additional engagement activities. Responses to this RFI will assist Canada in further refining its requirements.

RFI #2 will be concurrent with Working Group Sessions #2 on various technical and Aboriginal Participation Component topics.

4.1 Nature of this Request for Information

This is not a bid solicitation. This RFI will not result in the award of any contract. Potential suppliers of any goods or services described in this RFI should not reserve stock or facilities, nor allocate resources, asa result of any information contained in this RFI. Nor will this RFI result in the creation of any source list. Therefore, whether or not any potential supplier responds to this RFI, it will not preclude that supplier from participating in any future procurement. Also, the procurement of any of the goods and services described in this RFI will not necessarily follow this RFI. This RFI is simply intended to solicit feedback from industry with respect to the subject matter described in this RFI.

4.2 Response Costs

Canada will not reimburse any organization for expenses incurred in responding to this RFI including, but not limited to, expenses incurred for participating in subsequent Engagement Activities.

4.3 Follow-up Activity

This RFI #2 is part of Engagement Phase 2, and various Working Group Sessions #2 will take place concurrently.

4.4 Communication with Industry

During the Engagement Activities subsequent to this RFI, the Contracting Authority may communicate with registered Industry Participants through direct email rather than by posting additional notices on the GETS.

5. Proposed Engagement Approach 

5.1 Engagement Strategy

We are currently in the second of three phases planned for the Industry Engagement process.  However, as the process evolves, additional activities could be incorporated into the engagement schedule or engagement phases may be combined, modified, or eliminated depending on timelines and feedback from industry.

Please note that participation in any of the Engagement activities is not a mandatory requirement for eventual submission of a bid; industry representatives that do not participate in the Engagement process will remain eligible to submit a bid in response to any future RFP relating to the HICPS procurement.


5.2 HICPS Engagement Milestones and Associated Timeline

The following milestones and their associated target delivery dates are estimates which have been provided for information purposes only. Canada reserves the sole option to delete or change each of the individual named milestones and their associated delivery dates as Canada sees fit.

Engagement Phase 1
1 RFI #1 - May 21 - July 14, 2015 - Completed
2 Industry Engagement Information Session #1 - September 21, 2015- Completed
3 One-on-One Sessions #1 - September 21 - 28, 2015 - Completed

Engagement Phase 2 
4 RFI #2 - May 16, 2016
5 Deadline to Submit Questions, Comments, and Recommendations for Working Group Sessions #2 - June 13, 2016
6 Deadline for Registration for Working Group Sessions #2 - June 20, 2016
7 Working Group Sessions #2 - July 5 - 6, 2016
8 Deadline to provide responses to RFI #2 - July 20, 2016

Engagement Phase 3
9 RFI #3 - Autumn 2016

6. Enquiries

All enquiries and other communications related to this RFI and associated Industry Engagement activities shall be directed exclusively to the Public Works and Government Services Canada Contracting Authority.  Since this is not a bid solicitation, Canada will not necessarily respond to enquiries in writing or by circulating answers to all respondents; however, respondents with questions regarding this RFI may direct their enquiries to:

Contracting Authority: Aaron Wong-Sing
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Place du Portage III, 12C1 11 Laurier Street Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0S5

Email Address: TPSGC.DGASTRDPSS-AQCBHICPS.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Telephone: 819-420-2213
Facsimile: 819-934-1235

Alternate:
Delegate Contracting Authority: Betty Cole
Telephone: 819-420-2214

The use of e-mail to communicate is preferred.

7. Previous RFI

Copies of the previously published HICPS RFI #1 (HT426-144642/A published May 20, 2015) can be downloaded from GETS https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/tender-notice/PW-XF-008-28919.

Copies of the previously published HICPS Information Notice #1 (HT426-144642/B published August 24, 2015) can be downloaded from GETS https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/tender-notice/PW-XF-008-29420.

Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.