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COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
Inter-Departmental Correspondence
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San Mateo Medical Center
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DATE:
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September 6, 2006
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BOARD MEETING DATE:
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October 24, 2006
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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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Nancy J. Steiger, Chief Executive Officer, San Mateo Medical Center
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SUBJECT:
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Agreement with GRM Information Management Services (GRM)
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RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution:
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A.
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waiving the Request for Proposals process
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B.
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authorizing execution of an Agreement with GRM Information Management Services, for the term October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2009, in an amount not to exceed $150,000.
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C.
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authorizing the Chief Executive Officer of San Mateo Medical Center (SMMC) to execute subsequent Amendments and minor modifications not to exceed $25,000 and to make minor changes in the type of services and activities provided under the agreement.
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VISION ALIGNMENT:
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Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government
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Goal 20: Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary relief or immediate gain.
The agreement contributes to this commitment by providing off-site storage of medical records which are easily accessible in the event a patient returns for treatment or correspondence of medical information is required.
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Performance Measure:
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Measure
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FY 2006-07
Projected
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FY 2007-08
Projected
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Medical records stored at GRM will be returned to SMMC upon request within time allocated in the contract, for patient care or other SMMC business
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100%
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100%
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Medical records stored at GRM will be maintained safely in compliance with DHS policies on medical records
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100%
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100%
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BACKGROUND:
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The State requires hospitals to maintain adult medical records for 10 years after date of last activity and pediatric records until the child reaches 18 years of age plus an additional three years.
Off-site medical record storage is required because of the lack of storage space at SMMC. San Mateo Medical Center (SMMC) keeps medical records on-site for five years. After five years of inactivity at the hospital, the medical record is sent to outside record storage. The medical records need to be accessible in the event a patient returns for treatment or correspondence of medical information is required.
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On December 2, 2003, based on cost savings, your Board waived the RFP process and approved an agreement with GRM Information Management Services for the term October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2006. GRM maintained the same terms and conditions when it purchased Simmba Systems in January 2003 and for the term of the previous three-year Agreement.
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DISCUSSION:
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GRM Information Management Services offers an internet connection which enables SMMC to request records through this connection while maintaining records at the GRM off-site storage. GRM keeps a destruction timetable of items stored. At the termination of the agreement, GRM will not charge a removal fee.
GRM Information Management Services (formerly Simmba Systems, LLC) is approved by the State of California for medical records retention and storage. Security is high-priority with GRM due to the privacy guidelines governing health information. All GRM facilities are locked and guarded at all times. Their information system is guarded with a firewall. HIPAA compliance language is included in the contract with GRM and all of their employees are required to sign confidential statements.
Contracting with another vendor at this time will entail transferring the records to another facility and developing a new system, which will cost San Mateo Medical Center approximately $45,000. Additionally GRM is maintaining its current prices for another three years, therefore, SMMC can expect the same cost saving over the term of this agreement. For these reasons, a waiver of the RFP process is being requested at this time.
Currently medical records acquired from the previous Burlingame Long Term Care site are stored with Iron Mountain. These medical records require destruction as appropriate. Records that required retention will be moved to GRM. San Mateo Medical Center is currently exploring methods to decrease the number of boxes needing to be stored. A plan will be developed, with the guidance of County Counsel, for an effective system of box destruction to prevent unnecessary future growth of the number of medical records stored.
The contractor has assured compliance with the County's Contractor Employee Jury Service Ordinance, as well as all other contract provisions that are required by County ordinance and administrative memoranda, including but not limited to insurance, hold harmless, non-discrimination and equal benefits.
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County Counsel has reviewed and approved this Agreement. Risk Management has approved the insurance coverage. ISD has reviewed and supports this Agreement.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
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The term of the previous Agreement with GRM is October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2006, with a maximum amount of $127,108.
The term of the new Agreement is October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2009. The maximum amount of this Agreement is $150,000. SMMC is adding $22,892 over the amount of the previous Agreement to provide for the transfer and destruction of ten year old Burlingame Long Term Care files still stored at the Iron Mountain facility. Funds are included in SMMC’s FY2006-07 adopted budget. Funds will be included in future budget requests.
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