Specifications include, but are not limited to: As directed by the Social Security Administration (SSA), Disability Determination Services Administration (DDSA) is responsible for adjudicating Social Security Disability claims and ensuring that adequate evidence is available to support its determination. When existing medical evidence is insufficient, not available or cannot be obtained, DDSA is required to purchase Consultative Examinations (CE’s) per SSA Program Operation Manual System (POM) DI 39545.150 CE/MER evidence. The CE’s are from various medical specialties, including but not limited to psychology, somatic, speech and language, diagnostic imaging, and neurology throughout Arizona. DDSA provides services to approximately 80,000 to 90,000 Arizona residents who apply for benefit each year, utilizing approximately 100 medical professionals that contract with ADES. Approximately 1,500 of these applicants require diagnostic imaging services each year. A CE is defined as physical or mental examination or test purchased from a medical source, at the SSA’s request and expense, to provide evidence of a claimant’s disability or blindness claim per POM DI 22510.001. The medical source must be currently licensed or certified in the State in which he or she performs the CE and have the training and experience perform the type of examination or test requested, must not be debarred from participation in any federal or federally assisted programs and must also have the equipment required to provide an adequate assessment and record of the existence and level of severity of the alleged impairments. PURPOSE OF RFI: To obtain information on market trends and business practices from prospective providers for DDSA’s diagnostic imaging service needs. This includes gathering information on service areas, billing for services, barriers, and pricing
