REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 27, 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. 1 to Agreement with Inland Empire Health Information Organization, and Manifest 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.
(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 amendment with Inland Empire Health Information Organization (IEHIO), and Manifest MedEx (MedEx) is non-financial in nature.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On April 17, 2018, the Purchasing Department executed a Participation Agreement (Agreement) with IEHIO 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 the Inland Empire Health Program (IEHP) on behalf of ARMC. If IEHP ceases to pay the fees for any reason, ARMC may either terminate the Agreement or pay the fees itself.
Amendment No. 1 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.
ARMC recommends approval of this Amendment to allow ARMC the ability to continue the secure exchange of electronic patient health information with MedEx. A new contract will be brought to the Board of Supervisors for approval prior to the expiration date of the current Agreement. The HIE data sharing capabilities provide for more timely and appropriate delivery of care to patients in the community in order 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 June 9, 2023; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Buyer III, 777-0722) on June 9, 2023; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Finance Budget Officer, 580-3165) on June 9, 2023; Finance (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on June 9, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer 387-5423) on June 9, 2023.