Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Cassius Lockett, Director, Public Health, Policy and Planning
Subject: Purchase of PharmAdva, LLC MedaCube Electronic Medication Dispensers
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Adopt a resolution:
A) Authorizing the Purchasing Agent to spend up to $129,000 for the term of August 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020, for PharmAdva, LLC MedaCube electronic medication dispensers consistent with the Vendor Agreement; and
B) Waiving the competitive bidding process.
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BACKGROUND:
The Whole Person Care (WPC) pilot is part of the Department of Health Care Services Medi-Cal 2020, 1115 Waiver. San Mateo County is 1 of 25 entities participating in the pilot and receives $16.5 million annually to support efforts to coordinate health, behavioral health, and social services for vulnerable and high utilizing clients. The County has focused its efforts on persons who are high utilizers of emergency services and meet one of three target populations including those with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and those who experience homelessness. Many clients served meet two or more of these criteria and have multiple existing chronic health conditions that are poorly managed. The pilot funds specific programs within County Health, the Health Plan of San Mateo, and the Human Services Agency to directly serve these individuals. Additionally, the pilot focuses efforts to employ systemic structural innovations that support the integration of services across County Health to more seamlessly and strategically serve these populations.
DISCUSSION:
Clients with complex needs, including those with two or more chronic medical conditions, often have complicated medication regimens that require multiple medications be taken at various intervals throughout the day. Complex medication regimens can lead to a lack of medication adherence which adversely affects the patient and can lead to increased complications and hospitalizations.
Electronic medication dispensers have sophisticated technology that enables the machine to dispense the right medication at the right time and in the correct dosage. Additionally, medication changes can be done remotely through a web-based portal, thereby allowing the prescriber to more effectively manage medications in real time.
WPC seeks to work with divisions across Health to identify up to 100 individuals who have chronic medical conditions that are managed with complex medication regimens in order to deploy these electronic medication dispensers. Each division will be allotted a specific number of machines, based upon identified clients, and that division will be responsible for inventory control for the life of the machine.
Following extensive research of numerous machines, the PharmAdva, LLC (PharmaAdva) MedaCube machine was found to have unique features that are particularly desirable. These unique features include: 1) a 24-hour battery back-up compared to others with a 6-8-hour back-up; and 2) the ability to hold a three-month supply of medications for up to 13 medications. Due to the potential for rolling electrical black outs in California caused by potential wildfires, the longer battery back-up is desirable, and the greater capacity to hold medicine supply decreases the amount of times a medical provider would need to manually re-fill the machine.
PharmAdva is the sole source provider of the MedaCube machine and County Health is requesting that the competitive bidding process be waived in order to purchase 100 PharmAdva, MedaCube devices.
The resolution has been reviewed and approved by County Counsel as to form. ISD has reviewed and approved the IT component of this agreement.
It is anticipated that WPC will deploy electronic medication dispensers to 100 individuals.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2019-20 Actual |
FY 2020-21 Estimated |
|
Number of electronic medication dispensers that WPC will deploy |
N/A* |
100 electronic medication dispensers |
*New Agreement
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the proprietary quote from PharmAdva is five months, August 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. The full amount of the purchase, $129,900, will be funded through the WPC pilot and is included in the Public Health, Policy, and Planning FY 2020-21 Recommended budget. There is no Net County Cost associated with this purchase.