REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 19, 2023
FROM
WILLIAM L. GILBERT, Director, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Agreement with the Inland Empire Health Information Organization and Manifest MedEx for Sharing Electronic Health Information
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 23-551 with Inland Empire Health Information Organization and Manifest MedEx to electronically provide and receive health information, in the amount of $50,000 increasing the not-to-exceed amount to $300,000, to be paid by Inland Empire Health Plan or waived by Manifest MedEx, extending the term by one year, for the total period of April 17, 2018 through December 31, 2024.
(Presenter: William L. Gilbert, Director, 580-6150)
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) as the cost of $50,000 will either be paid by Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) or waived by Manifest MedEx (MedEx).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On April 17, 2018, the Purchasing Department executed a Participation Agreement (Agreement) with Inland Empire Health Information Organization (IEHIO), parent company of IEHP, and MedEx for the contract period of April 17, 2018 through June 30, 2023, for a subscription to access the Health Information Exchange program (HIE) that enables Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) to electronically provide and receive health information regarding patients for an annual subscription fee of $50,000.
The annual subscription fee is paid by IEHP on behalf of ARMC. However, IEHIO gave notice to MedEx that beginning January 1, 2024, IEHP may no longer pay the County’s subscription fees, depending on whether IEHIO’s Board of Directors approves the continued payment in December 2023. If IEHP ceases to pay the fees for any reason MedEx has agreed to waive the 2024 fee, provided that the County enters into good faith negotiations for a revised agreement solely between the County and MedEx, and ARMC engages in primary source verification. If the County fails to do either of these things, then the County will be liable for payment of the 2024 fees.
Amendment No. 2 to the Agreement with IEHIO and MedEx will allow ARMC to continue to participate in a HIE that will enable ARMC to electronically provide and receive health information regarding patients. HIE is organized to facilitate health information aggregation and sharing in a manner that complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIE supports providers, hospitals, and health plans in securely sharing critical health information to ensure that patients receive continuity of safe, efficient, and high-quality care as they transition from one provider or hospital to another.
Participation in HIE is a minimum requirement for all pay for performance programs, which send information to payers as soon as patients are admitted and allow for supplemental reimbursement to ARMC for patients seen. MedEx provides an uninterrupted bidirectional connectivity software platform that sends and receives real time patient data. The platform notifies insurance companies/payors that provide reimbursement for patient care any time the patient record is updated.
On June 27, 2023 (Item No. 25), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 23-551-with IEHIO and MedEx, to electronically provide and receive health information, and extend the contract term by six months, for the total contract period of April 17, 2018 through December 31, 2023. As the original Agreement with IEHIO and MedEx was executed by Purchasing, Agreement No. 23-551 was assigned when this amendment was presented to the Board.
ARMC recommends approval of this Amendment to allow ARMC the ability to continue the secure exchange of electronic patient health information with MedEx. The HIE data sharing capabilities provide for more timely and appropriate delivery of care to patients in the community to provide for the safety, health and social service needs of residents.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Bonnie Uphold, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 20, 2023; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Budget and Finance Officer, 580-3165) on November 27, 2023; Finance (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on November 28, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on December 4, 2023.