Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Nancy Lapolla, Director, San Mateo County EMS Agency
Subject: Agreement with FirstWatch Solutions, Inc. for Data Services for the Emergency Medical Services Agency Web-Based Data Integration and Surveillance System
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing an agreement with FirstWatch Solutions, Inc. for data services for the Emergency Medical Services Agency data integration and surveillance system, for the term of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022, in an amount not to exceed $500,000.
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BACKGROUND:
The San Mateo County Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMS Agency) provides administrative and regulatory oversight for the local emergency medical services system (EMS System). The EMS Agency’s primary function is to plan, implement, and evaluate the local EMS system and its various components. This includes the licensing and contract management of ambulance providers and coordination and monitoring of air and ground ambulances.
Current agreements with FirstWatch Solutions, Inc. (FirstWatch) for syndromic surveillance reporting and clinical quality improvement and oversight services expire November 15, 2019 and June 30, 2021, respectively.
Agreements with the Emergency Ambulance Services with 9-1-1 Advanced Life Support Ambulance Transport (i.e., American Medical Response 9-1-1 services) and San Mateo County Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services Group Advanced Life Support Paramedic Designation (i.e., fire medical first response JPA services) were recently approved by your Board and, beginning on July 1, 2019, will require the support and use of FirstWatch to implement enhanced data surveillance and reporting. The FirstWatch systems are essential for enabling the EMS Agency to monitor the performance of the County’s 911 EMS System.
DISCUSSION:
Approval of this agreement will allow for continued, uninterrupted and enhanced data services for surveillance and quality improvement activities conducted by the EMS Agency. This agreement also will provide American Medical Response and the fire medical first response JPA with additional tools for managing performance.
Highlights of the enhanced FirstWatch monitoring and reporting services include the development and implementation of: 1) an automated response-time compliance utility for ambulance and fire medical first response operational performance; 2) an automated tool providing enhanced syndromic surveillance of infectious disease; 3) an electronic tool for optimizing ambulance and fire medical first response clinical performance; 4) connectivity enabling improved movement of data for presentation and storytelling; and 5) functionality to report ambulance patient offload times at hospitals consistent with State requirements.
EMS Agency is requesting a waiver to the Request for Proposal requirement for this agreement, as FirstWatch is a sole source provider of real-time National EMS Standards compliant 9-1-1 prehospital monitoring and data analysis systems.
The resolution contains the County’s standard provision allowing amendment of County’s fiscal obligation by a maximum of $25,000 (in aggregate).
The agreement and resolution have been reviewed and approved by County Counsel as to form.
Approval of this agreement contributes to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Healthy Community by providing: 1) uninterrupted data services for EMS Agency health surveillance and quality improvement activities, and 2) new capabilities to the EMS System. It is anticipated that 100 percent of 9-1-1 system providers will access FirstWatch for clinical and operational continuous quality assurance and improvement purposes by end of FY 2019-2020.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2018-19 Actual |
FY 2019-20 Projected |
|
Percentage of 9-1-1 system providers that will access FirstWatch for clinical and operational continuous quality assurance and improvement purposes by end of FY 2019-2020 |
0% 0 system providers |
100% 2 system providers |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the agreement is July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022. The amount of the agreement is not to exceed $500,000 for the three-year term. This agreement has no Net County Cost and is funded by revenue from the County’s Emergency Ambulance Services with Advanced Life Support Ambulance Transport Agreement with American Medical Response and Maddy funds.