USAID SUSTAINABLE FINANCING FOR HIV

Terms of Reference for a Local Consulting Firm

ENABLING REMOTE ACCESS TO GUIDANCE ON SHI IMPLEMENTATION FOR HIV
EXAMINATION AND TREATMENT AT THE SERVICE DELIVERY LEVEL

Justification

During 2019 USAID’s Sustainable Financing for HIV has provided technical assistance to HIV treatment facilities in order to build their knowledge and skills related to SHI examination and treatment in Ho Chi Minh City. This assistance was provided through technical guidance workshops, policy orientation workshops, on-site trouble shooting, and in-person coaching. This support helped to strengthen institutional capacity at the service delivery level. However, in 2020 many more health facilities will start providing ARV treatment through SHI and most facilities will transition viral load and CD4 testing from donor funding to the SHI fund. Therefore, there is an increased need for regular and intensive technical support to health facilities.

Since the majority of HIV treatment facilities are district health centers without prior understanding and experience on SHI reimbursement, claim submission, and other requirements of the social health insurance system, they will initially face difficulties, concerns and anxiety around activities such as: entry of patients’ data; entry of examination and treatment data on software for SHI examination and treatment using the PSS web-based platform; uploading data to the VSS portal; adjusting/correcting data entered; and general data submission. In addition, health facilities need to manage patients within/outside the SHI referral system. They also need to know how to transfer specimens for viral load and CD4 tests at another health facility, and how to fill out financial forms for SHI claims.

Until now, the project has provided technical support through face-to-face meetings. Given recent travel and social mobility restrictions due to public health reasons, such activities are no longer a viable option. Since the project’s mandate is to accelerate SHI reimbursement for HIV including SHI ARV by providing guidance to health facilities on SHI implementation, there is an opportunity to support HCMC CDC through information technology solutions to continue offering technical assistance to them. This innovative solution has the potential to provide easy access to information and knowledge that will facilitate health facility operations under social health insurance, especially the provision of ARVs to HIV patients. To achieve this, the project will identify and hire a local firm capable of offering a solution to share remotely convenient information to health facility personnel.

Purpose

To set up a demand-based helpline to provide SHI technical support and guidance to staff from health facilities in HCMC on the implementation of SHI examination and treatment for HIV including ARV, laboratory tests, and related treatment services. The proposed target are 30 health facilities in HCMC first. Based on an assessment of the helpline’s effectiveness the project will consider upscaling the approach to HCMC’s neighboring provinces and Hanoi.

Illustrative Tasks and Requirements

• Based on discussions with project technical staff, design a help-line solution that meets all requirements.

• Ensure the availability of the following resources during the period of implementation:
  
  • Cisco licenses (2)
  • Integrated functions as required
  • System set up and technical support

• Pilot test the solution.

• Make revisions in the solution, as needed.

• Submit the solution for HCMC CDC and SFA approval.

• Conduct field implementation of a helpline solution.

• Collect and analyze monitoring data to document that the expected results are being achieved.

Deliverables

The final deliverable will be a functional help-line with the following characteristics:

• A hotline connected to SHI advisors at any place during working hours (to be defined)
• Call history management and reporting system
• Caller ID registration
• Auto SMS
• Collection of caller feedback (including a voice-to-text option)

Timeline

The project shall begin in April and end o/a August, 15, 2020.

Qualifications of the firm

• Proven experience in the development of help-line solutions.
• Availability of state-of-the-art technical and other resources to meet the requirements of the project.
• Familiarity with relevant government regulations in Vietnam.
• Firm commitment to abide by the timeline set up for this project.

The local consulting firms are requested to submit the proposal to: [email protected]

Deadline: 31st March, 2020

Organization: Abt Associates
Location:
Application deadline: 2020-03-31
Send application to: [email protected]