Title
a. Authorize the Deputy Purchasing Agent for Natividad Medical Center (NMC) to execute Amendment No. 10 to the Agreement (A-11938) with Cynthia Harlowe for professional consulting services at NMC, extending the Agreement an additional 3 year period for a revised full term of July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2018 and adding $750,000 for a revised total Agreement amount not to exceed $1,473,000.
b. Authorize the Deputy Purchasing Agent for NMC to execute up to three (3) future amendments to the agreement which do not significantly alter the scope of work and do not cause an increase of more than ten percent (10%) of the original cost of the agreement per each amendment.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended the Board of Supervisors:
a. Authorize the Deputy Purchasing Agent for Natividad Medical Center (NMC) to execute Amendment No. 10 to the Agreement (A-11938) with Cynthia Harlowe for professional consulting services at NMC, extending the Agreement an additional 3 year period for a revised full term of July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2018 and adding $750,000 for a revised total Agreement amount not to exceed $1,473,000.
b. Authorize the Deputy Purchasing Agent for NMC to execute up to three (3) future amendments to the agreement which do not significantly alter the scope of work and do not cause an increase of more than ten percent (10%) of the original cost of the agreement per each amendment.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
NMC is accredited by the Joint Commission, a non-profit organization that accredits over 18,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. Approximately 82 percent of the nation's hospitals are currently accredited by The Joint Commission. The Joint Commission has deemed status with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which means that the Joint Commission will enforce standards of compliance with the federal Conditions of Participation for receiving reimbursement under the Medicare and Medicaid programs in addition to Joint Commission standards. The accreditation process includes: (a) ongoing compliance with the standards of care, treatment and services; (b) annual self-assessment for compliance with all standards; and (c) an onsite survey every three years.
NMC has had an agreement with Cynthia Harlowe to provide onsite consulting services for Joint Commission survey preparation and during the actual survey. NMC has performed well in all six onsite surveys where she provided consultation services. Her agreement provides for onsite consulting services to assist NMC in completing and scoring the annual self-assessment and in providing input on establishing action plans for maintaining compliance with all standards, providing on-site consulting during the actual survey and providing assistance to the Engineering Department in implementing process changes to assure complete compliance with the Joint Commission standards.
NMC wishes to execute Amendment No. 10 with Cynthia Harlowe with an additional three year term for the provision of consulting services at NMC without interruption and to increase the scope of service to include services beyond NMC's 2015 Joint Commission survey. Ms. Harlowe will be the lead person to conduct mock surveys during the upcoming years in preparation for official Join Commission surveys. In addition, Ms. Harlowe will assist the Quality Department on several patient related projects while a search is conducted to fill the recently vacated position.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel has reviewed and approved this Amendment No.10 as to legal form and risk provisions, and the Auditor-Controller has reviewed and approved as to payment provisions. The Auditor-Controller has expressed concerns with the appropriateness of the agreement, given the length of its term and the maximum liability. The Amendment No.10 has also been reviewed and approved by NMC’s Board of Trustees on July 10, 2015. NMC’s Board of Trustees did raise concerns and has asked for certain research items to be reviewed during the next Board of Trustee meeting.
FINANCING:
The cost for this Amendment No. 10 is $750,000 of which $250,000 is included in the Fiscal Year 2014-15 Adopted Budget. Amounts for remaining years of the Agreement will be included in those budgets as appropriate. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Prepared by: Daniel Leon, Chief Financial Officer, 783-2561
Approved by: Gary R. Gray, DO, Interim Chief Executive Officer, 783-2504
Attachments:
Amendment No. 10 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Amendment No. 9 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Amendment No. 8 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Amendment No. 7 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Amendment No. 6 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Amendment No. 5 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Amendment No. 4 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Amendment No. 3 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Amendment No. 2 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Amendment No. 1 to Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Agreement with Cynthia Harlowe
Spend Sheet
Attachments on file with the Clerk of the Board