REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 18, 2025
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with VVC Holding LLC for the Electronic Health Record System
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 7 to Contract No. 16-938 with VVC Holding LLC, for the Athena Practice electronic health record system, including the monthly subscription, increasing the contract amount by $457,684 from $3,868,242 to $4,325,926, and extending the contract term by one year, for a total contract period of December 20, 2016, through December 31, 2026.
(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.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The cost increase of $457,684 associated with Amendment No. 7 to Contract No. 16-938 (Contract) is for the ongoing monthly subscription and the annual service fee for the Athena Practice Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. The increased contract amount of $457,684 includes $71,621 for increased 2025 monthly subscription fees, partially offset by a credit of $34,055 against the annual service fee associated with the removal of unused modules, and $420,118 for the 2026 monthly subscription and annual service fee. These costs are funded by Medicare, Medi-Cal, and self-pay patients. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Public Health (DPH) 2024-25 budget and the 2025-26 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DPH is committed to providing preventative health services that enhance the health, safety, and quality of life for San Bernardino County residents and visitors. The Athena Practice EHR system plays a critical role in this mission by enabling DPH to capture and retrieve patient information efficiently, streamline service delivery, monitor and report on health trends, and automate claims and billing processes at its Federally Qualified Health Centers and other clinics.
On December 20, 2016 (Item No. 55), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the Contract with General Electric Company in an amount not to exceed $1,938,195 for the provision of an EHR system, for the period of December 20, 2016, through December 19, 2019.
On September 25, 2018 (Item No. 29), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to the Contract, which reflected the assignment of the contract from General Electric Company to VVC Holding LLC and updated contract language, with no change to the contract amount of $1,938,195 or the period of December 20, 2016, through December 19, 2019.
On December 10, 2019 (Item No. 26), the Board approved Amendment No. 2, exercising both one-year extension options and increasing the total amount by $554,527, from $1,938,195 to $2,492,722, for the total contract period of December 20, 2016, through December 19, 2021.
On December 14, 2021 (Item No. 45), the Board approved Amendment No. 3, increasing the total contract amount by $567,343, from $2,492,722 to $3,060,065, and extending the contract an additional two years, for the total period of December 20, 2016, through December 19, 2023.
On March 29, 2022 (Item No. 39), the Board approved Amendment No. 4, for the provision of the System Upgrade Assurance subscription, which is an additional service cost covering training and test environments, increasing the total contract by $78,750, from $3,060,065 to $3,138,815, with no change to the contract period of December 20, 2016, through December 19, 2023.
On October 24, 2023 (Item No. 52), the Board approved Amendment No. 5, for the system upgrade of the Medical Office Technology ezAcess Patient Portal and Messenger Service, and InDxLogic Document Management subscription, increasing the contract amount by $396,467 from $3,138,815 to $3,535,282 and extending the contract by one year for a revised period of December 20, 2016, to December 31, 2024.
On October 22, 2024 (Item No.36), the Board approved Amendment No. 6 to include the System Upgrade Assurance subscription, increasing the contract amount by $332,960, from $3,535,282 to $3,868,242, and extending the contract term by one year, for a total contract period of December 20, 2016, through December 31, 2025, with the option to extend one additional year.
DPH requests approval of Amendment No. 7 to the Contract to extend the term for an additional year, from December 20, 2016 through December 31, 2026, to facilitate the initial stages of the migration to a new EHR system beginning in summer 2025. The extension of this contract will ensure DPH clinicians can continue utilizing the EHR system to manage patient records while the department transitions to a new EHR system.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 23, 2025; Finance (Iliana Rodriquez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4205) on May 28, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on June 2, 2025.