Single Source Procurement: Maternal and Children's Health Quality Improvement Initiatives

Pursuant to New York State Finance Law § 163.10(b), The New York State Department of Health is presenting the following summary of relevant circumstances, and material and substantial reasons why a competitive procurement was not feasible.

The NYS Department of Health received approval of a Contract Reporter Exemption Request (CRER) for a one year extension of contract C026712.This contract is a consultant services agreement with the National Institute for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ), to continue the implementation of existing and new maternal and child health quality improvement initiatives through the New York State Department of Health's (NYSDOH) New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative (NYSPQC). The extension will covers a one-year period May 1, 2015 through April 30, 2016.

This extension will allow the department to build upon work performed by NICHQ and to include additional maternal and child health quality improvement initiatives under the scope of the NYSPQC. The extension will also give the Division time to prepare a competitive RFP with a planned release date of 8/31/15.

The NYSPQC aims to provide the best and safest care for women and infants in New York State by preventing and minimizing harm through the use of evidence-based practice interventions. The intervention projects of the NYSPQC will focus on currently existing and new practice areas, including:

  • The management of hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality. This is an existing initiative under the NYSPQC Obstetrical Improvement Project;
  • Improving documentation of maternal education on the risks/benefits of scheduled delivery between 36 0/7 and 38 6/7 weeks gestation. This is an existing initiative under the NYSPQC OB Prenatal Education Project;
  • Optimizing early enteral nutrition in newborns of <31 weeks gestational age to minimize discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) below the 10th percentile on the Fenton growth scale. This is an existing initiative under the NYSPQC Enteral Nutrition Improvement Project;
  • Preventing central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) in NICUs. This is an existing initiative under the scope of the NYSPQC NICU CLABSI Reduction Project; and
  • Assuring that all newborns receive a hearing screening prior to discharge from the birth hospitalization, and that appropriate follow-up testing and referrals are made when necessary. This is a recently added focus area in the scope of the NYSPQC and will be referred to as the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Project.
  • Additionally, the NYSPQC team is initiating an infant mortality collaborative which will involve diverse partners across the state to improve birth outcomes. Hospitals across the State are collaborating with the NYSDOH on one or more of these projects.

The NYSPQC will be supported by a consultant team from NICHQ. NICHQ has been working for over ten years on a national level to make children's health care better through quality improvement. NICHQ teaches large and small organizations, programs and coalitions about improving care for pregnant women and babies through the development of expertise in using practical tools and techniques to facilitate improvement. A unique feature of the NICHQ facilitated training is that it is accomplished within the context of a learning network or collaborative. Since 2008, NICHQ has provided consultant services to the NYS DOH for perinatal initiatives based on this feature. Through these collaboratives, project results have been monitored, discussed and shared by all participants. This technique has offered New York State a formal infrastructure, guided by pediatric and public health experts from NICHQ, to translate results to action with the intention of bringing these results to scale across the state.

NICHQ is a well-established organization, and their expertise has been integral to several projects in the Division of Family Health. NICHQ teaches large and small organizations, programs and coalitions about improving care for pregnant women, infants and children through the development of expertise in using tools and techniques to facilitate improvement. A unique feature of the NICHQ facilitated training is that it is accomplished within the context of a learning network or collaborative. In addition to working with the NYSDOH DFH, NICHQ has also worked with Ohio and California. On a national level, NICHQ is the lead quality improvement and technical assistance organization charged with supporting the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) to Reduce Infant Mortality as well as the National Coordinating Center for the Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Program (SCDTDP).

Since 2008, NICHQ has provided consultant services to the NYSDOH for perinatal initiatives under the NYSPQC based on their expertise in implementing quality improvement strategies to improve perinatal outcomes. NICHQ has been active in all NYSPQC initiatives as outlined above. The NICHQ consultant team has been an integral part of the planning, implementation, and ongoing management of all NYSPQC projects, providing NICHQ with a unique understanding of the NYSPQC and its objectives. Additionally, the NICHQ consultant team has developed relationships with all stakeholders of the NYSPQC projects, including participating hospital teams, partner organizations and staff at the NYSDOH, which adds strength to the collaborative projects through an understanding of organization specific priorities and challenges.

Procurement / Program Name Maternal and Children Health Quality Improvement Initiatives
Contractor Name(s) National Institute for Children's Health Quality (NICHQ)
Contract Period 5/01/2015 – 4/30/2016
Contract Number(s) C026712