REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF INLAND COUNTIES EMERGENCY MEDICAL AGENCY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
February 27, 2024
FROM
DANIEL MUÑOZ, Interim EMS Administrator, Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with FirstWatch Solutions, Inc. for Additional Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency, approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 22-987 with FirstWatch Solutions, Inc. for software licensing for Enhanced Data Reporting and Visualization software, increasing the total not to exceed amount by $40,000, from $175,500 to $215,500, and clarifying the term of the contract to be five years, from October 4, 2022 through October 3, 2027.
(Presenter: Daniel Muñoz, Interim EMS Administrator, 388-5807)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total contract will not exceed $215,500, which includes $40,000 for licensing of the Enhanced Data Reporting and Visualization software, and will be reimbursed through exclusive operating area ambulance service provider contracts. Sufficient appropriation and revenue are included in the Inland Counties Emergency Medial Agency (ICEMA) 2023-24 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ICEMA, as the local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency, is responsible for ensuring effective EMS for the Counties of San Bernardino, Inyo and Mono. ICEMA administers State and local codes and regulations governing the provision of emergency medical care to the sick and injured as the scene of an emergency and during transport to a care hospital.
On October 4, 2022 (Item No. 53), the Board of Directors (Board) approved Agreement No. 22-987, including nonstandard terms, with FirstWatch Solutions, Inc. (FirstWatch) in an amount not to exceed $175,500, for a five-year term, to allow for real time monitoring of ambulance response times and types of calls to strengthen ICEMA’s ability to monitor the EMS system and improve patient outcomes. Item No. 53 incorrectly referenced a contract period of November 1, 2022, to June 30, 2027. The five-year contract term actually began upon execution by all parties, effectively commencing on the Board date of October 4, 2022 through October 3, 2027. This discrepancy is clarified in the Recommendation.
Currently, FirstWatch software allows ICEMA the ability to strengthen the EMS system monitoring capabilities through its tools. FirstWatch provides EMS system monitoring tools, including automated surveillance alerts when statistically significant increases in volume or geographical clusters of calls are detected. FirstWatch software also sends alerts to system administrators via a combination of email, text messaging, or compatible paging system.
Specific features of the FirstWatch software currently include the Online Compliance Unit tool, which helps automate data reporting processes to streamline emergency transport compliance reports, and the FirstPass tool, which also automates the ability to monitor and analyze patient care data as a clinical quality measurement and performance.
Amendment No. 1 will include additional services to improve data reporting and visualization. These improvements will allow ICEMA to extract more comprehensive and specific data for analysis and to present it in a clearer and more easily visualized format. It will also allow for the display of EMS data on ICEMA’s website for public reporting, via FirstWatch web hosting. These system improvements will better assist ICEMA in making recommendations to improve EMS services.
ICEMA recommends approval of the amendment with FirstWatch to improve report generation and EMS system improvements.
PROCUREMENT
The Purchasing Department supports the proprietary procurement of the FirstWatch software due its unique abilities such as integration with the Emergency Dispatch Center system to gather data and customize reporting tools. While other vendors may offer similar software products, FirstWatch is currently the standard software in use for EMS system monitoring. Switching to a new provider would incur transition costs, require re-training of end users, and pose a risk to patients during the transitionary period.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (John Tubbs II, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on January 9, 2024; Risk Management (Victor Tordesillas, Director, 386-8623) on January 9, 2024; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on January 9, 2024; Finance (Carl Lofton, Administrative Analyst, 387-5404) on January 29, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on February 9, 2024.