SR-05-27-2015-3CCity of
Santa Monica
City Council Special Meeting: May 27, 2015
Agenda Item: 3-C
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dennis Downs, Interim Fire Chief
Subject: Memorandum of Agreement for Prehospital Emergency Medical Care
Enhancement Program
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant award in the amount of $87,500
from the County of Los Angeles for the purchase of an electronic patient care
reporting system /records management system;
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to accept the
grant; and
3. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
section of this report.
Executive Summary
The Fire Department was successful in applying for a Prehospital Emergency Medical
Care Enhancement Program regional grant for the purchase of an electronic patient
care reporting system /records management system (ePCR) from the County of Los
Angeles. It is a matching grant, in which the Department was awarded $87,500.
Background
Measure B, a ballot initiative, was passed by County voters on November 6, 2002.
Measure B provides funding for trauma and emergency services, as well as
bioterrorism preparedness. In March 2014, the County of Los Angeles Emergency
Medical Services Commission requested $3.0 million in one -time County Measure B
funding to assist EMS provider agencies in implementing or upgrading electronic
Patient Care Record Systems (ePCR). The County then solicited applications for the
Emergency Medical Care Enhancement Program.
1 of 4
Discussion
The Fire Department was awarded $87,500 as a matching grant for the purchase of
a new electronic patient care reporting system /records management system.
Through allocated Measure B funds, the County Department of Health Services will
reimburse the Fire Department up to 50% of the total cost for the purchase of a new
ePCR system. The total project costs are estimated at $175,000. For the City's
match of $87,500, the Fire Department has budgeted $60,000 in the FY 2014 -15
Capital Improvement Program for this project and will fund the remaining $27,500
from the Department's FY 2015 -16 operating budget. The project costs include the
purchase of new software, migration of the current systems, and training; the
hardware necessary for the system upgrade was already purchased as part of the
mobile data computer project. The award enables the Fire Department to replace
an aging records management system. The new system will have the ability to unify
two disparate systems that report both Emergency Medical System (EMS) and
National Fire Information Reporting System (NFIRS) records separately. The new
software will be placed on all paramedic engines, EMS bicycle teams, and medical
carts that operate on the beach.
The ePCR system will expedite patient triaging by allowing paramedics to generate
and complete real -time electronic patient care reports in the field, which will be
transmitted to the receiving hospital, allowing doctors to address the needs of the
patient in a timely manner. As part of the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical
Services Agency (LEMSA) directive, all fire based EMS delivery agencies are
required to be able to provide this type of electronic patient care reporting.
EMS incidents account for approximately 83% of the total fire department 9 -1 -1
requests. As response times continue to rise and calls for service increase, there is an
associated decline in the response reliability of fire -based EMS resources. In analyzing
the data, SMFD has realized that nearly 25% of the time spent on a call is report writing
in a handwritten format. Additionally, staff time is spent daily in scanning in the reports
and rectifying the errors. The new RMS system is anticipated to save significant staff
2 of 4
time, enhance response reliability and bring the City into compliance with the LEMSA
requirements.
Per Santa Monica Municipal Code, the projected cost of the new system requires a
formal Request for Proposal. This is scheduled for release in May 2015. This formal
process assures competitive bidding and is compliant with all State and Federal laws
relative to government purchasing. Upon receipt of proposals, a selection committee
will evaluate and score the proposals. Staff anticipates presenting Council with a
contract recommendation in August of 2015. As part of that agreement, a project
timeline and payment schedule will be developed. This mechanism will assure proper
accounting for all expenditures and will be used to validate payment from the City as
well as the funds utilized and applied to the Measure B Grant. The project must be
complete by June 30, 2016.
3 of 4
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Award of an $87,500 grant from the County of Los Angeles for the purchase of an
electronic patient care reporting system requires the following FY 2014 -15 budget
changes:
1. Establish revenue budget at account 20312.409340 in the amount of $87,500.
2. Appropriate the following expenditures to reflect receipt of the EPCR grant: $87,500
at account 0209048.589000
Prepared By: Terese Toomey, Principal Administrative Analyst
Approved Forwarded to Council
Dennis J.Wwns, Interim Fire ChW13/2015 Elaine M Polachek, Interim City P6"OOM
4 of 4