Title
Telehealth Services- Requirements Contract - RFP 22-071 (Ordinance S-48360)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to enter into a contract with MD Ally, Inc. for comprehensive turnkey Telehealth Services for the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD). Further request authorization for the City Controller to disburse all funds related to this item. The offeror will provide services free of charge to the City.
Report
Summary
The PFD responds to thousands of behavioral health and low acuity 9-1-1 calls for service each year. These calls are received and routed for service through the Phoenix Fire Department Regional Dispatch Center (PFDRDC). The PFD seeks innovative turnkey telehealth delivery solutions from telehealth providers that can be integrated into its existing 9-1-1 procedures to enhance communication, reduce response times, deliver additional lines of care, and provide prevention strategies to maximize the PFD’s availability for the next service call.
This system shall provide a secure interactive audio/visual application, communications platform, data storage, data management functions, and robust business intelligence tools for reporting. The contractor will use these communications and data tools to provide access to health care professionals (doctors, osteopaths, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, licensed clinical social workers, substance use and abuse counselors, crisis intervention counselors, or other allied health professionals), that deliver crisis, mental, behavioral, and medical health services.
The PFD expects that referring 9-1-1 callers directly to outstanding care services will have the secondary benefit of reducing low acuity dispatches of PFD units (diversion at dispatch), thereby decreasing non-emergency transports.
Procurement Information
RFP 22-071 was conducted in accordance with Administrative Regulation 3.10. There were four offers received by the Procurement Division on Dec. 27, 2021. The notification was sent to 250 suppliers and was publicly posted and available for download from the City's website.
The proposal was scored by a seven-member evaluation panel based on the following criteria:
Experience and Qualifications - 400
Method of Approach - 300
Capacity - 200
Cost - 100
The Assistant Finance Director recommends that the offer from MD Ally, Inc. be accepted as the highest scored, responsive, and responsible offer most advantageous to the City.
Contract Term
The contract will begin on or about March 15, 2022, for a one-year term with four options to extend.
Financial Impact
The offeror will provide services free of charge to the City; by following the model partnering with insurance payors across the country to initiate cost savings agreements, benefits service providers and patients receive care without associated costs. There will be no financial impact to the Phoenix Fire Department's budget.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was scheduled for information and discussion only at the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee on Feb. 9, 2022.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays, Deputy City Manager Ginger Spencer and the Phoenix Fire Department.