Health Research, Inc. (HRI) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on behalf of the Bureau of Cancer Prevention and Control (BCPC) are seeking bids from New York State (NYS) Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) to participate in a project to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in FQHC primary care practice sites. While contracts will be awarded to the FQHC, bids must be submitted for each clinic at which activities will be implemented.

Successful bidders will be awarded an initial contract for a six-month period, from January 1, 2024, to June 29, 2024, to support project start-up, and a second, twelve-month contract period from June 30, 2024, to June 29, 2025, to support project implementation. Up to six (6) clinics across up to four (4) FQHCs will be selected for funding. Each FQHC may submit bids for up to two clinics.

The project intent is to develop and implement a quality improvement (QI) plan that includes at least two of the five priority evidence-based interventions (EBIs) in The Community Guide (client reminders, provider reminders, provider assessment and feedback, reducing structural barriers, and patient navigation) and other systems changes in each clinic site to make sustainable, lasting improvements in primary care clinic CRC screening rates. The NYSDOH will provide technical assistance on development and implementation of an approved QI plan and will support learning opportunities for all participating clinics.

Successful bidders will:

• participate in an assessment of their current clinic practices related to CRC screening,
• receive post-assessment feedback and recommendations for improvement work,
• develop and implement a QI plan that includes at least two EBIs and other systems changes to increase CRC screening,
• participate in evaluation activities to assess individual clinic progress, including completing annual assessments through project year 2 and potentially beyond to demonstrate project impact over the long term.

The successful bidder will submit a bid by November 16, 2023, that demonstrates clinic eligibility and capacity to allocate staff time and effort to participate in all project activities. A deliverable-based contract with Health Research, Inc. will be awarded to the successful FQHCs. FQHCs awarded contracts under previous bids and currently participating in this project are not eligible to apply.

Bidders may submit questions to Canserv@health.ny.gov no later than October 12, 2023, email subject line should read, "Increasing CRC Screening in FQHCs". Questions and answers will be posted and shared with all who submitted questions on or around October 19, 2023.

Minimum Eligibility – In order to submit bids, FQHCs must identify a clinic site in which to implement the project that meets all six (6) of the below criteria. A single FQHC may identify up to two (2) clinic sites in which to implement the project but must submit separate bids for each clinic site. Bidders that do not identify a clinic or clinics that meet these criteria will not be considered for funding. A budget for the first six-month period must be included with the bid submission. The budget template is located in Section eight (8) of this application. 

You may continue to edit your application, even after it's submitted, up until the application due date of November 16, 2023.

The bid posting is available here: Request for Bids - Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening in Federally Qualified Health Centers - Health Research, Inc.

Required Clinic Criteria: 

1. A clinic site of a current NYS FQHC that provides primary care.
2. A clinic site colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rate of less than 60% using the Uniform Data System 2023 Health Center Data Reporting Requirements (please see page 108 of the 2023 UDS Data Reporting Requirements Manual) for the June 2023 trailing year, demonstrated by response to Section 2 of the bid survey.
3. A CRC screening-eligible population, based on criteria for UDS measure denominator, that is at least 20% of the total clinic site population or comprises at least 1,000 patients, demonstrated by response to Section 3 of the bid survey.
4. Capacity to provide all required project data as demonstrated by completion of the baseline data questions in Section 4 of the bid survey.
5. The capacity to ensure that all patients, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, can access needed CRC screening, diagnostic, and treatment services, as demonstrated by clinic participation in the NYSDOH Cancer Services Program or other responses to questions in Section 6 of the bid survey.
6. Staff capacity to support and participate in all project activities, as demonstrated by completion of the staffing plan in Section 7 of the bid survey, which requires, at a minimum, identification of individual staff to fulfill each of the following four (4) clinic team member roles; 1) a Clinic Team Lead, 2) a Provider Champion, 3) a QI Lead, and 4) a Health Information Technology (HIT) Lead. Each identified clinic team member will be responsible for fulfilling specific project deliverables. Should designated staff become unavailable, awardees must ensure roles are covered so there are no gaps in project implementation. Other clinic staff responsible for implementing project work should be identified in the staffing plan submitted in response to the survey to ensure all activities described in Table 1 are supported.