6525- VISN 15 Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) Service Agreement

Please see attached Request for Information and Draft PWS. VHA’s VISN 15 has a requirement for maintaining its VISN-wide brand name Philips Healthcare Corporation (Philips) Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) for eight medical facilities and approximately 43 Community Based Outpatient Centers. PACS have been acquired and implemented in various configurations within VHA. The medical facilities are listed under PWS Section 4.2, Place of Performance.

VHA is required to store patient images and documentation on the Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) Imaging Platform. The PACS platform is a front layer tool for when new images are hosted and stored for Radiologists’ readings/interpretations/diagnosis.

VHA tools for readings, interpretations and diagnosis are significantly lacking, therefore VHA relies on the commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) PACS platform as the front layer and the VistA Imaging System as the back-end ultimate VA storage. In preparation for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Modernization initiative, VISN 15 continues to require a VISN-wide PACS solution that provides a single interoperable solution across VA, the Department of Defense (DoD) and with community care providers.

Health records residing in a common solution eliminates the reliance on multiple complex clinical interfaces and manual data entry. PACS refers to a computer system that is used to capture, store, distribute and then display medical images and is all-inclusive packaged.

PACS architecture has four major components: hardware imaging machines; a secure network for distribution and exchange of patient images; a workstation or mobile device for viewing, processing and interpreting images; and electronic archives for storing and retrieving images and related documentation and reports. VHA Directive 1104 requires that every facility within each VISN utilize the same PACS.

All patient information in PACS will be archived in the Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) Imaging platform at the respective VA medical facility.

Although PACS architectures have been acquired and implemented in various configurations within VHA, it is beneficial and necessary to establish VISN-wide PACS architecture with a common interface standard in order to facilitate the care of patients referred amongst facilities within a VISN, efficiently utilize radiologists by means of cross-facility interpretation agreements, reduce the cost of equipment and maintenance contracts, ensure interface compatibility with VistA, share technical equipment expertise within a VISN and ensure continuity of service in the event of a disaster.

PACS achieves VISN-wide interoperability for diagnostic imaging interpretation. The Contractor shall maintain the current VISN-wide brand name Philips Healthcare Corporation (Philips) PACS architecture including hardware, software, licenses, installation, implementation, integration, data migration, maintenance and training as outlined in the PWS Sections below. The Contractor shall also upgrade equipment that is post support or near end-of-life. Additionally, this task order includes continued support and maintenance of the VISN’s now integrated Cardiology PACS which uses the Radiology PACS backbone.