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Chief Administrative Office, Procurement and Contracts Division, on behalf of Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), recommending the Board:
1) Award Request for Proposals (RFP) 16-918-060 to the successful proposer, Image Trend, Inc., to provide an Electronic Pre-Hospital Care Report System and related support for HHSA and other end-users within the County;
2) Authorize HHSA to negotiate a five (5) year Agreement for Services with Image Trend, Inc., with an approximate cost of $400,000, to be determined based on negotiated terms and conditions;
3) Authorize the Chair to execute said Agreement for Services, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management; and
4) Authorize the Purchasing Agent, or designee, to execute any future amendments relating to the Agreement developed in association with RFP 16-918-060, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management.
FUNDING: Ground Emergency Medical Transport Funding.
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DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION:
Chief Administrative Office, Procurement and Contracts Division, on behalf of Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), recommending the Board:
1) Award Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 16-918-060 to the successful proposer, Image Trend, Inc., to provide an Electronic Pre-Hospital Care Report (ePCR) System and related support for HHSA and other end-users within the County;
2) Authorize HHSA to negotiate a five (5) year Agreement for Services with Image Trend, Inc., with an approximate cost of $400,000, to be determined based on negotiated terms and conditions;
3) Authorize the Chair to execute said Agreement for Services, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management; and
4) Authorize the Purchasing Agent, or designee, to execute any future amendments relating to the Agreement developed in association with RFP No. 16-918-060, contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management.
The award and subsequent Agreement is necessary in order to comply with the State requirements identified in Health and Safety Code, Section 1797.227 and will increase operational efficiency.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
The implementation of an ePCR System is a State requirement, identified in the California Health and Safety Code, Section 1797.227, which requires each emergency medical provider use an electronic health record compliant with the current version of the National Emergency Medical Services Information Systems Version (NEMSIS) and the California Emergency Medical Services Information System (CEMSIS).
In addition, the ePCR system will improve billing operations, increase administration’s ability to monitor and evaluate care rendered, and increase customer service levels through improved management of information and reporting. At present, the County employs a paper system, which does not meet the demands of the response system, it is inefficient, does not allow for data retention and utilization, lengthens the billing process, and fails to adequately meet the needs of Quality Assurance standards.
On March 18, 2016, the Procurement and Contracts Division, on behalf of HHSA, released RFP No. 16-918-060, soliciting qualified vendors to submit proposals answering 103 questions regarding technical information and capabilities of their ePCR system, as well as the State required specifications. Eight proposals were received as a result of this solicitation; these proposals were then evaluated and scored by a six person panel representing CalTahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority (CalTahoe JPA), the El Dorado County Emergency Services Authority (West Slope JPA), County Information Technology, HHSA Ambulance Billing, and HHSA Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency. As a result of the evaluation process, the top two proposals fell within 6 points of each other, out of 340 possible points. Both of the vendors who submitted the top two proposals were invited to provide a product demonstration to HHSA. These live demonstrations were evaluated by eleven different evaluators, who scored the demonstrations in groups based on their field of knowledge. These groups included Ambulance Billing, Continuous Quality Improvement (Quality Assurance), General Administration, and Field Users. Of the eleven members of the evaluation team, two evaluators represented the West Slope JPA, and one member of the Quality Assurance team represented Marshall Medical Center. CalTahoe was invited to participate in the evaluation, but their representative declined to attend. Results from the evaluation of the live demonstrations consistently ranked ImageTrend higher in every category. Once scores from the evaluation team were averaged, ImageTrend scored 93.84 points out of a total possible 105 points.
HHSA is seeking authorization to negotiate the Agreement based on an approximate five (5) year cost of $400,000, including startup costs, with the understanding the costs may fluctuate based on actual utilization of services charged on a per use or unit basis, including the amount of data storage required, volume of use, platform interfaces (hospitals, dispatch, and monitors), and required training events.
A sample Agreement has been attached for reference; however the final Agreement will be based on the outcome of successful negotiations and may also include, as a part of the Agreement, a Service Level Agreement, a Software License Agreement, a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Business Associate Agreement, and/or other exhibits or attachments to facilitate the Agreement.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to award RFP No. 16-918-060 to Image Trend, an ePCR System would not be obtained as a result of this RFP process and HHSA would be out of compliance with requirements under California Health and Safety Code Section 1797.227.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Procurement and Contracts
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board approve this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with this Agenda item.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Clerk of the Board to provide a copy of the approved minute order to HHSA Contracts Unit at 3057 Briw Rd.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
N/A
CONTACT
Patricia Charles-Heathers, Ph.D., Director