Special Notice / Hearing: None
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Chester J. Kunnappilly, MD, Chief Executive Officer, San Mateo Medical Center
Subject: Agreement with Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. to Provide a Point-of-Care Medical Resource Software
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution ratifying and authorizing an agreement with Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. to provide a point-of-care medical resource software for the term of March 1, 2022, through February 28, 2027, in an amount not to exceed $491,593.
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BACKGROUND:
On February 25, 2022, the County entered into an agreement with UpToDate, Inc. for a subscription to the UpToDate Anywhere software (UpToDate), which provides San Mateo Medical Center (SMMC) a point-of-care medical resource software for the term of March 1, 2022, through February 28, 2027, in an amount not to exceed $491,593. The subscription provided for by this agreement is necessary to establish compliance with 22 Cal. Code Regs. § 70761 because it comprises and makes accessible SMMC’s medical library.
DISCUSSION:
Through recent inquiries from our Controller’s Office, SMMC has learned that it must now enter into a County service agreement for software subscriptions or licenses. UpToDate is a comprehensive, evidence-based clinical decision support resource covering 25 medical specialties, offering over 11,800 topics and tools accessible online, authored by over 7,100 top physicians, and continuously updated to ensure accuracy without commercial bias. Used in over 180 countries, UpToDate improves medical knowledge, quality of care, and patient outcomes. No other resource currently exists that offers UpToDate’s range of content and organized, searchable format, making UpToDate a sole source provider of these services. As a result, SMMC is requesting this Board waive the Request for Proposals process, ratify, and approve the agreement to allow UpToDate to provide these services.
County Attorney has reviewed and approved the resolution and agreement as to form. This agreement comes to this Board for ratification due to the transition of these types of purchases from a software subscription to a service agreement.
The resolution contains the County’s standard provisions allowing amendment of the County fiscal obligations by a maximum of $25,000 (in aggregate).
The Information Services Department has reviewed and approved the IT component of this agreement.
The County’s Contract Compliance Committee has approved a waiver request for a five-year term for this agreement.
It is anticipated that UpToDate will provide access to its subscribed database 100% of the time.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2023-24 Estimated |
FY 2024-25 Projected |
|
Percentage of time that UpToDate will provide access to subscribed database |
100% |
100% |
EQUITY IMPACT:
The utilization of UpToDate ensures continued equitable health outcomes for the SMMC patients by providing clinical information support to SMMC medical staff. The access to this vital database is utilized by the patient care teams to provide the necessary care for all of SMMC’s patient population. This continued service will positively impact equitable health outcomes because delivery of healthcare at SMMC, a public safety net hospital, addresses community need. Specifically, in the past 12 months, 68.3% of SMMC’s patients were enrolled in Medi-Cal with an additional 6.1% of SMMC’s patients enrolled in the Access to Care for Everyone (ACE) program. SMMC’s patients span a wide spectrum of races, ethnicities, gender, and gender-identities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the agreement is March 01, 2022, through February 28, 2027. The amount of the agreement is not to exceed $491,593 for the five-year term. Funds in the amount of $98,085 are included in the SMMC FY 2023-24 Adapted Budget. Funds in the amount of $102,989 will be included in the SMMC FY 2024-25 Recommended Budget.
Expenses at SMMC are covered by fees for services or third-party payors whenever possible. The portion of expenses for services provided to the medically indigent or to those covered by programs that do not meet the full costs of care is covered by the County’s General Fund contribution to SMMC and is within the existing annual appropriation.