Title
Update on Fire Department's Efforts to Acquire and Implement an Electronic Patient Care Reporting (EPCR) System
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to acquire and implement an Electronic Patient Care Reporting system.
Report
Summary
EPCR systems, as they were originally developed, provided fire departments and other health-related organizations with electronic versions of patient documentation and record storage. This helped save time, money, and paper.
Today's modern EPCR systems have improved exponentially, are multi-faceted, and now have capabilities far beyond simple electronic record keeping and storage. Newer versions of EPCR not only provide electronic record keeping and storage, they also allow for documentation and storage for fire investigations and fire inspections, improved performance management (metrics), improved ability to identify community trending and geographical areas at risk, increased quality assurance, efficiencies with ambulance billing and collection, and many other opportunities to directly and indirectly benefit the public. These new systems also allow fire departments to participate in, and realize the benefits of the Health Information Exchange (HIE) system, or the secure exchange of health-related information between care professionals such as fire departments and hospitals.
The Fire Department's efforts to acquire an EPCR system have included the following: In 2015, the Fire Department received approval and funding to begin the procurement process. In 2016, a competitive procurement was conducted, however, complications resulted in cancellation of the process. In 2017, a second RFP to acquire an EPCR system was conducted. The item was ultimately withdrawn at City Council.
The Fire Department is currently coordinating with the Finance Department to begin a new procurement process in Fall 2019.
Procurement Information
The competitive procurement process will begin in approximately six months (Fall 2019).
Financial Impact
The Fire Department has received sufficient funding to implement an EPCR system.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was recommended for approval by the Public Safety and Veterans Subcommittee by a vote of 4-0 on May 14, 2019.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. and the Fire Department.