The posting
Job Description:
KANSAS COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
Kansas Health Science University, Inc. · 217 E. Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS 67202
CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY — REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS AND RATE QUOTATION
CLINICAL TRAINER (OPHTHALMIC TECHNICIAN TRAINER)
Rural Health Transformation Program — RFQ No. RHTP-2026-02
Issued: October 30, 2026 · Responses due: November 13, 2026, 5:00 p.m. Central
1. Background
The Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM), a college of Kansas Health Science University, Inc., is the recipient of a Rural Health Transformation Program award from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, under KDHE Subaward Agreement No. 332072-001-15 (Federal Assistance Listing 93.798, Rural Health Transformation Program; Federal Award Identification No. RHTCMS332072-01-02). The project deploys autonomous artificial-intelligence diabetic retinopathy screening at up to seven rural primary-care and Federally Qualified Health Center sites in Kansas, and a robotic telehealth slit lamp for remote ophthalmic examination at a rural clinical site. KansasCOM is seeking qualifications and an hourly rate quotation from individuals interested in serving in the role described below on a part-time, independent-contractor basis. This opportunity is posted publicly on kansascom.org and may also be sent directly to qualified individuals.
2. Role and Scope of Services
The Clinical Trainer will:
1. Develop a standardized training curriculum for the point-of-care diabetic retinopathy screening camera and autonomous AI system: patient preparation, image acquisition, image-quality assessment and repeat-capture criteria, result handling, documentation, and device care.
2. Produce quick-reference guides, competency checklists, and troubleshooting job aids for clinic technicians and front-line staff.
3. Conduct initial on-site training and go-live support at each site (up to seven sites across rural Kansas), including hands-on instruction and observation of initial patient screenings.
4. Conduct follow-up trainings (virtual and in person), assess technician competency, and retrain where gaps are found.
5. Provide first-line troubleshooting to site technicians and escalate device or software issues to the vendor and project manager.
6. Maintain training attendance and competency records; participate in project team meetings (about twice monthly).
3. Engagement Terms
• Type: independent contractor agreement with a statement of work; hourly rate with a not-to-exceed ceiling. The contractor is responsible for his or her own taxes and benefits (IRS Form 1099).
• Estimated effort: hours will be spread over the twelve (12) month term as the work requires (heaviest during site onboarding), and total compensation will not exceed $15,000. Budget ceiling for this role: $15,000.
• Term: the grant performance period, October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
• Travel to sites outside Sedgwick County is reimbursed at actual cost at the State of Kansas travel rates required by the grant (lodging and meals up to the U.S. GSA per diem rates for the destination, as adopted by the State of Kansas; mileage at the State of Kansas rate) and is not charged against the ceiling.
• This engagement is funded by a federal award and is subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200; the agreement will include the federal contract provisions required by KDHE (Attachment X), including records retention for ten (10) years after final payment and access to records, nondiscrimination, whistleblower notice, and debarment and anti-lobbying certifications. Execution of the agreement is subject to prior written approval by KDHE.
• Public statements: the agreement will require that any publication, presentation, press release, social media post, or other public material the contractor prepares describing the project include the funding disclosure and acknowledgement of federal support set out in Section 8 below, and be furnished to KansasCOM at least ten (10) days before release so that it can be submitted to KDHE for the review the grant requires.
4. Minimum Qualifications
Respondents must meet all of the following to be considered. Please address each item specifically in your statement:
a. Certification, held currently or at any time in the past, as a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA), Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT), or Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT) through IJCAHPO. A lapsed certification is acceptable; a certification revoked for cause is not.
b. At least five (5) years of experience as an ophthalmic technician working in an ophthalmology practice (not solely optical or optometric retail settings).
c. Experience in a high-volume ophthalmology practice (for this purpose, a practice or clinic seeing on the order of 40 or more patients per provider-day, or a comparable surgical or subspecialty volume).
d. Extensive hands-on diagnostic testing experience, including photography and at least four of: OCT, visual fields, biometry/keratometry, corneal topography or pachymetry, confocal microscopy, tonometry.
e. Ability and willingness to travel by personal vehicle to rural Kansas sites (overnight travel expected for some sites), with a valid driver’s license and insured vehicle.
f. Not excluded or debarred from participation in federal health care or procurement programs.
5. Evaluation Criteria
Responses meeting the minimum qualifications will be evaluated by KansasCOM using the following weighted criteria and a standard scoring form. Award will be made to the respondent whose qualifications and rate are most advantageous to the project, price and other factors considered (2 C.F.R. § 200.320(a)(2)).
Evaluation criterion — Weight (points)
Ophthalmology technician experience — depth, breadth, and recency; subspecialty exposure (retina, cornea, glaucoma) (25 points)
Diagnostic testing experience — range of modalities, imaging volume, image-quality judgment (20 points)
Training and teaching experience — prior responsibility for onboarding or training technicians or clinic staff; managerial role; ability to teach non-ophthalmic staff (25 points)
Availability and travel — capacity to meet the onboarding schedule across up to seven rural sites within the first six months (15 points)
Hourly rate — price reasonableness relative to the budget ceiling and prevailing wages (15 points)
Total: 100 points
6. How to Respond
Please submit the following by email to Dasa V. Gangadhar, MD, Principal Investigator, at [email protected], with the subject line “RFQ No. RHTP-2026-02 — Clinical Trainer.” Responses must be received by the due date stated above; late responses may not be considered.
1. A current résumé or CV.
2. A copy of your IJCAHPO certification (current or past), or the certificate number and dates held.
3. A one-page statement (maximum) describing your ophthalmology practice experience, the diagnostic tests you perform routinely, and any experience training technicians or clinic staff.
4. Your proposed hourly rate (inclusive of all costs other than reimbursable travel) and your availability for site visits during the first six months of the engagement.
5. Two professional references, at least one from an ophthalmologist or practice administrator for whom you have worked.
Questions may be directed to the same address. KansasCOM may ask respondents to participate in a brief telephone or video interview. Submissions become part of KansasCOM’s grant procurement file and may be reviewed by KDHE and federal auditors.
7. Conditions
This request does not obligate KansasCOM to award an agreement or to pay any cost of preparing a response. KansasCOM reserves the right to reject any or all responses, to waive minor informalities, to negotiate the rate and scope with the selected respondent, and to cancel this request if grant funding is reduced or withdrawn. KansasCOM does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, or any other protected status in its contracting. The selected respondent will be screened against the SAM.gov exclusion list and the HHS-OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities before award, and will be required to comply with HIPAA and participating-site policies and to sign a conflict-of-interest disclosure. The engagement is an independent-contractor engagement: the contractor carries automobile insurance for any vehicle used for site travel and is not covered by KansasCOM’s workers’ compensation or employee benefit programs; no other insurance is required. A respondent employed by a participating site must disclose that employment and will be required to recuse from any KansasCOM decision concerning that site.
8. Funding Disclosure and Acknowledgement of Federal Support
This posting and the project it describes are supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, as part of a financial assistance award totaling $677,248. Of total project costs of $820,348, 82.6 percent ($677,248) is funded by CMS/HHS and 17.4 percent ($143,100) is funded by a non-governmental source, the Wichita Eye Foundation. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
Kansas Health Science University offers a generous compensation and benefits package, as well as the opportunity to work for a leader in the field of education. Some of our key benefits include: generous paid time-off, medical and dental coverage, company-paid life and disability insurance, retirement plan with employer contribution, multiple flexible spending accounts (FSA), tuition reimbursement, professional development, and regular employee appreciation events.
Kansas Health Science University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
