City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: October 11, 2022
Agenda Item: 5.D
1 of 4
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Danny Alvarez, Fire Chief, Fire Department
Subject: Award RFP 311 to Digital EMS for Electronic Patient Care Reporting for the Fire Department
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award the contract for RFP 311 to Digital EMS Solutions Incorporated for an electronic Patient Care Report (ePCR) system for use by the Fire Department
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Digital EMS for a total amount not to exceed $250,000 and for a five-year term, with future years funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The Fire Department utilizes an Electronic Patient Care Reporting (ePCR) system as part of its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program for tracking patient care and medical records. The ePCR system operates on the Fire Department’s iPads and the system directly sends information entered by paramedics in the field to the treating hospital upon patient arrival. The system fulfills data collection, reporting and record retention requirements imposed by the County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services.
The software solution is cloud-based and the Department pays $4.60 per EMS report.
The Fire Department responds to approximately 10,200 EMS related calls per year resulting in an estimated average annual costs of $50,000/year for the next five-years.
The Fire Department’s budget already includes funding for an ePCR solution so no additional funds are required.
2 of 4
Discussion
The current ePCR system was initially implemented in July 2016 and awarded to Digital EMS. The system replaced a previously paper-based, manual system. The initial implementation enabled EMS providers to implement electronic patient care reporting systems that comply with various local and federal requirements for medical records.
The recommended Digital EMS Solutions, Inc. system is designed to meet the patient care reporting requirements imposed by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and all other federal and State requirements.
Paramedics utilize the system during treatment to collect information about the patient and record the treatment provided to the patient. The information is securely stored in compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and then transferred to the receiving hospital upon patient arrival. The near-instantaneous transfer of treatment data enables doctors and medical staff at the receiving hospital to have a comprehensive picture of the patient’s condition and care provided so that they can continue with treatment immediately upon patient arrival. The Digital EMS Solutions, Inc. system also has a comprehensive reporting system that enables the Fire Department to perform analysis of treatment provided and analyze patient outcomes as part of ongoing quality care/improvement review.
The system is highly reliable, user-friendly, and has been successfully utilized by the Fire Department for more than five years. The current contract with Digital EMS has expired. A Request for Proposal was issued and staff recommends Digital EMS as the Best Bidder for the award.
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidder Digital EMS Solutions, Inc.
Evaluation Criteria The following criteria was used to determine best bidder:
method of approach, qualifications of experience,
reasonableness of cost, completeness of proposal, and value added/breadth of service.
The City shall have absolute discretion in determining the applicability and weight of the criteria listed above.
3 of 4
The City is not required to select the bid with the lowest price.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
3/17/2022 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily
Press
22 4/14/2022
Best Bidder Justification
Digital EMS is deemed the best bidder due to their industry expertise, completeness of proposal, cost, and value added. A majority of Los Angeles County Fire agencies utilize Digital EMS as their ePCR vendor. Digital EMS is able to provide all of the County’s required data on its form and is able to transmit electronically to the local hospitals. The form is also interoperable with our neighboring agencies. The pricing per unit is comparable with the Department’s current cost. The cost is based on a per transaction costs and the Department is only billed for patient data recorded.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve funding from the General Fund to award an agreement with Digital EMS Solutions Incorporated for an electronic Patient Care Report (ePCR) system. Future years funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Agreement Request
FY 2022-23 Budget Request Amount Operating Account # Total Contract Amount $50,000 01190001.529230 $250,000
Bid Data
Submittals Received
Beyond Lucid Technologies, Inc.
Digital EMS Solutions Inc.
Image Trend, Inc
4 of 4
Prepared By: Terese Toomey, Principal Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Digital EMS Oaks