REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
July 26, 2022
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Public Health Physician Employment Contract for Department of Public Health Primary Care Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve employment contract with Dr. Brad C. Barth, Public Health Physician to provide Comprehensive Primary Services at the Needles Public Health Clinic, for an estimated annual cost of $150,000 ($99,608 Salary, $50,392 Benefits), for the period of August 27, 2022 through August 26, 2025.
2. Authorize the Director of the Department of Public Health to execute amendments to extend the term of the contract for a maximum of three successive one-year periods on behalf of the County, subject to County Counsel review.
3. Direct the Director of the Department of Public Health to transmit all documents in relation to contract amendments to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Joshua Dugas, Director, 387-9146)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The cost of the contract is estimated at $150,000 and is funded by Medi-Cal, Managed Care Medi-Cal, and Medicare revenue. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) 2022-23 budget, and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DPH contracts with physicians in multiple clinical areas, such as tuberculosis treatment, HIV prevention and care, primary care, behavioral health, and reproductive health services to provide medical services to the uninsured and underinsured population throughout San Bernardino County. Physicians provide direct medical care to patients and serve as subject matter experts in their areas of expertise. Physician support services include supervision and clinical oversight of mid-level providers (Nurse Practitioner and/or Physician Assistant), assisting in the development of policies and procedures, and participating in Quality Improvement/Quality Assurance (QI/QA) activities, helping to establish productivity standards, and assisting DPH with the development of long-term strategic plans. Contracts with physicians, to fill part-time positions, are necessary as the work required by DPH programs requires expertise in public health related fields.
Under the terms of the recommended employment contract, Dr. Barth will provide comprehensive primary care services, for a minimum of 20 hours per week at the Needles Public Health Clinic, which must include a minimum of 16 patient contact hours and up to four non-patient contact hours. Dr. Barth is credentialed through the Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) to provide for primary care services to include reproductive health services.
The recommended contract will be effective August 27, 2022, and will remain in effect until August 26, 2025. Authorization is requested for the Director of the Department of Public Health to execute amendments to extend the term of the contract for a maximum of three successive one-year periods. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may terminate the contract at any time without cause with 30 days prior written notice to the other party. The County may terminate the contract immediately for just cause.
PROCUREMENT
An informal search was conducted seeking the assistance of a County approved temporary staff agency and networking with providers in the Needles area. Due to the remote location and part-time scope of work the search resulted in one provider interested in the job offer. Dr. Barth was determined to be an appropriate candidate due to his well-established professional presence in the Needles community.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on June 28, 2022; Human Resources (Gina King, Deputy Director of Human Resources, 387-5570) on June 22, 2022; County Counsel (Cynthia O’Neill, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on July 6, 2022; Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on July 7, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on July 12, 2022.