VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System Pathology Service

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

This PWS outlines the requirements for offsite Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Services for the Veterans Affairs Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System (VA NWIHCS). The contractor will provide comprehensive laboratory testing and analysis services to eligible beneficiaries.

• Services: Furnish all personnel and resources to perform offsite Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Services. This includes pre-analytic processing, analysis, and reporting of clinical and anatomical pathology specimens.

• Specimen Handling: Contractor is responsible for transportation of specimens from Omaha VA Medical Center and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) to the contractor's site. VA is responsible for specimen collection, grossing (except cytology), VistA accessioning, and preservation/storage of final slides and blocks.

• Lab Referral Services: Services are provided for multiple VA facilities within VISN 23.

• Specific Services: Includes histology (slide preparation, special stains, recuts, levels, send-outs), cytology (technical and professional components), and autopsy services (provisional and final reports).

• Supplies & Equipment: Contractor must provide all necessary supplies, materials, and laboratory testing instruments.

• Turnaround Times (TAT): Specific TATs are defined for routine surgical cases (3 working days), complicated cases (5 working days), routine cytology (GYN: 14 days, Non-GYN: 5 days), and STAT specimens (2 hours).

• Quality: Services must meet or exceed national standards (e.g., College of American Pathologists - CAP) and VA standards.

• Reporting: Timely reporting of results, including immediate notification for critical values and provisional/final autopsy diagnoses within specified timeframes.

• Accuracy: Tests must meet acceptable standard deviations with daily controls.

• Compliance: Adherence to VA, Federal, and State regulations (CLIA, CAP, OSHA, HIPAA, etc.).

• Ordering Periods: Period I: April 1, 2027 - March 31, 2028, with four potential one-year option periods.

• Place of Performance: Primarily at the Contractor's Site. Autopsies may require on-site performance at VA NWIHCS, Omaha, NE.

• Personnel Qualifications: Staff must meet CLIA requirements, be appropriately licensed/certified, and possess requisite skills and experience. Pathologists require specific education and board certification/eligibility.

• Accreditation: Contractor's laboratory must maintain CLIA certification and accreditation by recognized bodies (e.g., CAP, The Joint Commission).

• Insurance: Professional liability insurance is required.

• Data Security & Privacy: Strict adherence to HIPAA and VA data protection policies is mandatory.

• Reporting: Various reports are required, including licensure, certifications, OIG list review, and performance assessments (CPARS).

• Billing: Invoices must be submitted electronically via Tungsten within 30 days of the end of the month.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document contains detailed pricing schedules for laboratory services for the years 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030, based on the National Physician Fee Schedule (NPFS) and Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS). It requires offerors to provide unit pricing for various laboratory tests, including quantities and CMS discount rates.

• Summary of Lab Information: A table to be populated by the offeror, detailing information for any laboratories that will perform tests under subcontract. This includes laboratory name, address, CLIA number, and director contact information.
• Profee_CMS OP1-OP5: These sheets list specific HCPCS/CPT codes for laboratory procedures, their descriptions, and columns for "Send Outs" (indicating if the test is outsourced), "MOD" (modifier), "Quantity," "UNIT PRICING FOR CONTRACT," "CMS Discount Rate," and "TOTAL CONTRACT PRICING." Offerors must populate the unit pricing and discount rate.
• CLIA OP1-OP5: These sheets also detail laboratory services with HCPCS/CPT codes, descriptions, and pricing information, referencing the CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) program.

This document is crucial for bidders to understand the expected pricing structure for laboratory services. Offerors must carefully review the provided fee schedules and populate the required pricing information to formulate their proposals. The document specifies that pricing should be based on the 2027 National Physician Fee Schedule and Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Fee Schedule, with the option to apply a discount rate. Bidders need to provide detailed pricing for each listed procedure, considering whether it will be performed in-house or as a "send out."