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COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
Inter-Departmental Correspondence
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Health Department
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DATE:
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March 10, 2005
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BOARD MEETING DATE:
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March 29, 2005
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SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:
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None
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VOTE REQUIRED:
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Majority
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TO:
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Honorable Board of Supervisors
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FROM:
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Charlene A. Silva, Director, Health Department
Brian Zamora, Director, Public Health Division
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SUBJECT:
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Agreement with Discharge Resource Group
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RECOMMENDATION:
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Approve a resolution authorizing the President of the Board to execute an agreement with Discharge Resource Group (DRG) for physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) services for medically eligible California Children Services (CCS) clients in the amount of $339,000, for the term July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2007.
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VISION ALIGNMENT:
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Commitment: Ensuring basic health and safety for all.
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Goal(s) 5 and 8: Residents have access to healthcare and preventative care; help vulnerable people – the aged, disabled, mentally ill, at-risk youth and others – achieve a better quality of life.
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These agreements contribute to these goals by providing physical and occupational therapy services to disabled children from birth to age 21.
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Performance Measure(s):
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Measure
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FY 2004-05
Actual
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FY 2005-06
Projected
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Percentage of CCS clients who will commence/continue treatment with a therapist within one month of being placed on waiting list.
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50%
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100%
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BACKGROUND:
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The Medical Therapy Unit (MTU) at CCS provides direct physical and occupational therapy services to children with severe disabilities. This state-mandated program has eligibility requirements for medical conditions. When those conditions are met, it is the responsibility of Public Health to provide appropriate therapy services to the children.
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Over the years, the CCS/MTU has periodically encountered sudden increases in numbers of referrals, as well as short term staffing shortages for a variety of reasons which have led to children being forced to wait for therapy services. Delays in treatment have the potential to seriously interfere with the child's ability to gain maximum functional independence during critical developmental years. When the waiting list exceeds 20 children for longer than a month, it becomes necessary to contract for therapist services on a temporary basis.
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State CCS guidelines provide a mechanism for contract services when there is a proven shortage of therapy staff. Because the number of cases continues to increase, there is a need to contract with registry services to provide staffing increases as needed.
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DISCUSSION:
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Since 1995, San Mateo County has had a formal agreement with DRG. The CCS/MTU continues to use DRG to augment onsite services. An RFP was recently conducted to identify appropriate staffing agencies for this purpose. Three proposals were received. Of the three, DRG was identified as the only organization that met the criteria of proven experience in providing pediatric therapists; experience in working with CCS, a local base of operations; a willingness to accept a rate of reimbursement which is within State CCS guidelines; and compliance with the County’s contracting provisions.
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The agreement has been reviewed and approved by Risk Management and County Counsel. This contract was delayed due to difficulties in contract negotiation with one of the proposers. The difficulties required renegotiation with DRG to assure continuous provision of services.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
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The term of the agreement is July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2007, the total dollar amount shall not exceed $339,000; $113,000 for each year of the three year contract. The cost of the contract is reimbursed 50% from the state CCS Program and 25% by realignment funds. The annual net county cost is $28,250 and has been included in the adopted FY 2004-05 budget.
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