RFP process in full swing.

Facing their first opportunity to grab the baton from the feds, contractors wait to see who will win the awards September 30 from the four RFPs issued in June by HHS. The RFPs challenge vendors to create processes for "harmonizing" standards, IT certification, architecture for a national health information network (NHIN) and setting privacy/security policies. Three of the requests for proposals, which were due in July, were from ONCHIT, covering standards harmonization, the compliance certification process and NHIN architecture.

Asked by HMT for a tight definition of "harmonization," Dr. David Brailer, national health IT coordinator at HHS, describes an ongoing process of developing a single, integrated set of standards for health information activities in which there is "no duplication, no ambiguity" and there are "no conflicts and no holes," and that "builds upon the very good David Brailer, M.D. work" of the standards organizations over the past decade or more. "Harmonization," he says, "implies the same thing as if there are different people singing different songs or in different keys and getting them all to sing the same song in the same key, but respecting that some are basses, some are altos and some are sopranos."

The certification RFP asks vendors to develop, create prototypes for and evaluate a compliance certification process for EHRs, including the infrastructure or network components through which EHRs interoperate. The NHIN RFP requires vendors to design and develop a prototype network suited to real-world healthcare environments, such as physician offices, hospitals, clinics and labs. According to government contracting rules and to ensure competitive bids, no values were attached to the RFPs. The standards RFP and the certification process RFPs each involve one cost-reimbursement contract. The NHIN demonstration project involves six cost-reimbursement contracts, including two to small businesses.

The privacy and security assessment RFP, released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on June 7 and due mid-July, includes in a line item awarding one prime contract and 40 subcontracts totaling $11.5 million. For more information on the RFPs, visit www.hhs.gov/healthit/contracts.html or www.ahrq.gov.