REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL AIR MEDICAL TRANSPORT SERVICES. Titus Regional Medical Center 2001 North Jefferson Blvd. Mt. Pleasant, TX 75455

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL AIR MEDICAL TRANSPORT SERVICES Titus Regional Medical Center 2001 North Jefferson Blvd. Mt. Pleasant, TX RFP Release Date: July 20, 2016 RFP Proposal Deadline: August 5, 2016

2 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1.1 Purpose of the Request for Proposal Titus Regional Medical Center ( TRMC ) is issuing this Request for Proposal (RFP) to invite qualified organizations ( Applicants ) to submit proposals to provide an Air Medical Transport Program at TRMC in Mount Pleasant, Texas. TRMC is looking to identify superior Applicants that can enhance the health care services available by providing an inter facility and pre hospital emergency air medical transport program ( Air Medical Program ) which is safe, high quality, cost effective, and is coordinated with other acute, tertiary and pre hospital emergency care resources available in the region. 1.2 Background For more than 60 years, TRMC has been committed to providing quality, compassionate care for the communities we serve. During this time, we have grown from a 32 bed community hospital into a 174 bed comprehensive, regional healthcare system including a medical staff of over 150 physicians & mid level providers representing some 26 specialties, including 24/7 general surgical services, cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, radiology, urology, pulmonology, OB/GYN, pediatrics, wound healing, behavioral health & a cancer treatment center. In 2014, TRMC achieved the designation of a Designated Stroke Center and is planning for achievement of a Primary Stroke Center in calendar year TRMC has been a Joint Commission accredited facility since 1979, illustrating our long standing commitment to achieving and maintaining high quality healthcare. A few highlights about TRMC: 7 building campus plus our Family Care Center Intensive Care Unit Geriatric Behavioral Health Unit Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Heart & Vascular Clinic, Diagnostics and Rehab Cath Lab opening end of July 2016 (two additional interventional cardiologists joining our staff in the summer 2016) Primary Care, including Internal Medicine, Family Practice, and Urgent Care offered at our Family and Community Care Centers 1,000 plus births annually 24,000 emergency department visits annually Our Emergency Department is the designated Lead Level III Trauma Center between Dallas, Texas and Little Rock, Arkansas demonstrating our capability to manage the care of injured patients and to provide stabilization to those requiring transport to a higher level facility through an on site air medical helicopter. Patient care is provided using an interdisciplinary team in collaboration with Emergency Medical Services ( EMS ), Emergency Department staff, private physicians/specialists and other essential departments within the hospital. In January 2015, TRMC expanded EMS services to include a dedicated ambulance stationed in Franklin County bringing our service area to approximately 700 square miles.

3 Titus Regional Medical Center Flight Information Total Scene Flights 2015 (07/14 06/15) (07/15 06/16) 27 Total TRMC Flights 2015 (07/14 06/15) (07/15 06/16) Flight information for previous Air Medical Transport Provider as provided by the previous provider. Does not include flights provided by other providers. Neonatal and pediatric flights provided by another provider and not included in numbers above. Titus Regional Medical Center Emergency Services Statistics Total Visits (07/14 06/15) 25,065 Total Visits (07/15 06/16) 24,110 Avg Transfers from ED per Month 63 Emergency Department Payor Mix: Medicare 29.5% Medicaid 15.9% BCBS 12.2% Commercial 18.9% Self Pay 23.5% TRMC Payor Mix All Areas: Medicare 48.3% Medicaid 11.2% BCBS 15.7% Commercial 15.6% Self Pay 9.2% 1.3 Schedule of Events The following schedule is a representation of TRMC s best estimate of upcoming dates and deadlines in regards to this RFP. TRMC reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to adjust this schedule as deemed necessary. Event Date RFP Release July 20, 2016 Notice of Intent to Propose Due July 29, 2016 Questions & Requests for Clarification Due August 1, 2016 Proposal Submission Deadline August 5, 2016 Anticipated Notice of Tentative Award August 19, 2016 Anticipated Contract Start Date TBD with Selected Company

4 2. RFP RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS 2.1 RFP Communications Interested parties must direct all questions and communications regarding this RFP to the Designated Contact: Mike Winton Director Materials Management Titus Regional Medical Center 2001 North Jefferson Blvd. Mount Pleasant, TX (903) (phone) (903) (fax) Questions or requests for clarification can be requested electronically by fax or through . Any verbal communications regarding this RFP (whether originating from Applicant or from TRMC) will be considered unofficial and non binding TRMC reserves the right to determine, at its sole discretion, the appropriate and adequate responses to comments, questions and/or requests for clarification as well as determining the method used (i.e. physical mail, facsimile, electronic mail, etc.) to convey these responses. TRMC will only provide answers related to this RFP to parties in which a Notice of Intent to Propose (Section 2.2) has been submitted Designated contact must receive all comments, including questions and requests for clarification, no later than the Questions & Requests for Clarification Due deadline of August 1, 2016 (Section 1.3) TRMC reserves the right to amend this RFP one or more times prior to deadline set forth in Section 1.3, Schedule of Events. In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP or extend any deadline listed herein, TRMC will issue addenda to the RFP. These changes will be distributed directly to Applicants who have previously submitted a Notice of Intent to Propose (Section 2.2) as well as post changes on TRMC website at Notice of Intent to Propose Applicant s wishing to respond to RFP, must submit letter or with Notice of Intent to Propose. Notice must be submitted by fax, or postal mail & received by Designated Contact (Section 2.1.1) no later than July 29, 2016 as detailed in Schedule of Events (Section 1.3) Submission of the Notice of Intent to Propose constitutes the Applicant s acceptance of the process, evaluation criteria and other administrative instructions outlined in this RFP Applicants may withdraw their Notice of Intent to Propose at any time before the deadline for proposal submission. Withdrawal must include the name of Applicant s company, name & title of contact person, address, phone number, address and fax number of contact person as well as a statement of company s intent to remove their company from consideration A Notice of Intent to Propose creates no obligation and is not a prerequisite for making an official proposal, it is however necessary to ensure receipt of any RFP amendments & any other communications regarding this RFP.

5 2.3 Preparation of RFP Response In order for TRMC to evaluate proposals fairly and completely, Applicant must follow instructions set out in this RFP and provide all information requested. Applicant is cautioned to carefully read each section of this RFP in its entirety to determine all requirements. Proposals should provide a straightforward, complete & concise description of the Applicant s capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP All proposals as well as any supplemental materials, must be written in English, submitted electronically through or delivery of memory stick with proposal. Proposer s responsibility to verify receipt with designated contact All costs incurred by Applicant in preparation, submittal and/or presentation of this RFP will be absorbed by the Applicant. Unless otherwise requested, all materials submitted in conjunction with this RFP will become property of TRMC. Costs incurred in returning materials will be at the Applicant s expense Applicant understands that no guarantee is made by TRMC to preserve the confidentiality of materials submitted in response to this RFP. The Applicant understands that any and all responses submitted will be subject to distribution and/or made available to appropriate TRMC personal and consultants involved in this project Confidential, trade secret, or proprietary materials must be clearly marked and identified as such upon submission by the Applicant. Applicants must provide specific justification as to why disclosure of particular information in the proposal would cause substantial injury to the competitive position of the Applicant. Properly identified information that has been designated confidential, trade secret, or proprietary will not be disclosed except as may be required under Texas Open Records Act. Should any conflict arise between responder confidentiality requirements and those of the Texas Open Records Act, the Act shall govern. 2.4 Contents of RFP Response Each Applicant must submit a proposal in response to this RFP with the most favorable terms the Applicant can offer. A proposal must include both a Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal (detailed requirements of each outlined below). 2.5 Submission of Proposal Proposals must include the following (in order) when being prepared for submission: Title Page Must show the RFP title, Applicant s name, contact information & date of proposal Table of Contents Must identify each numbered section and corresponding page number Letter of Transmittal Statement as to the willingness and ability of the Applicant to perform the work described within the RFP, acceptance of any Terms & Conditions relations to this RFP and reasons they feel like they are best qualified to receive award of contract. Letter must be signed by an individual authorized to bind the Applicant to the provisions of the RFP Technical Proposal Information compiled in Section 3.3.

6 2.5.5 Cost Proposal If applicable, fee or subsidy required by TRMC for the performance of this program. Currently, TRMC does not pay any fees or subsidy for this program. In addition, please include all items which must be provided by TRMC for this program Client References Applicant must furnish a list of at least three (3) current or former clients to serve as references for which Applicant has provided similar services within the last 5 years. Each reference must contain business name, address, , telephone number and the name of at least one (1) person who TRMC may contact Financial Statements Applicant must provide current financial status of company as well as three (3) years of audited financial statements demonstrating financial health and stability of the company Each Applicant must submit an electronic copy of the proposal via flash drive or . should be sent to mike.winton@titusregional.com. Proposer s responsibility to verify receipt with designated contact. Flash drives can be mailed to: Mike Winton Director Materials Management Titus Regional Medical Center 2001 North Jefferson Blvd. Mount Pleasant, TX TRMC must receive all proposals in response to this RFP no later than 5:00pm (CST) on August 5, 2016 as set forth in Section 1.3, Schedule of Events in this RFP. Proposals submitted after this date and time may not be accepted Applicant assumes all risks when dispatching any communication or proposal. TRMC assumes no responsibility for delays or delivery failures caused by Applicant s chosen method of delivery. The physical postmarking date of a communication or proposal to TRMC shall not take precedence over the physical receipt of communication or proposal by TRMC. 3 SCOPE OF SERVICES TRMC is seeking to ensure the availability of medical helicopter services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for on scene emergency response and transport. TRMC is seeking for the provider of our Air Medical Program to base operations at 2001 North Jefferson, Mount Pleasant, Texas. Through a Qualified Air Provider agreement, TRMC can assure patients on scene who are needing air transport will receive expedited care from appropriately credentialed and experienced clinicians. The Air Medical Program service shall be operated, at a minimum, in such a way that meets or exceeds the higher of the then current standards established by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Applicant is expected to perform and conduct operations in such a way that meets or exceeds the thencurrent accreditation standards as published by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS). Provider of TRMC s Air Medical Program must be accredited by CAMTS (Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transportation Services) at the time of proposal submission, thus ensuring the highest standards of quality and safety are met on every transport beginning the first day of the agreement.

7 3.1 OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS Qualified Air Medical Program Provider must have a 24/7 level of readiness. Pilots and medical crew shall be on site with the helicopter and prepared to immediately respond to a request for service. The Air Medical Program shall be staffed at all times with no less than two medical crew members. The minimum staffing shall be an EMT Paramedic and a Registered Nurse; and the preferred, but not required, medical crew staffing is two Registered Nurses. Each medical crew member shall be licensed by the state of Texas. Qualified Air Medical Program Providers shall designate administrative on duty or on call management or supervisory staff to be available at all times who are authorized to act on behalf of the Applicant in all operational matters. The Designated EMS Aircraft Dispatch Center shall at all times be advised of and have available, the contact information for Applicant on call administrative staff. Qualified Air Medical Program Provider shall cooperate with TRMC EMS and other system participants to assure a single point of access be used by local public safety dispatch centers when requesting EMS aircraft assistance. The Qualified Air Medical Program Provider shall submit monthly operation reports to TRMC. 3.2 SPECIFIC COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS Qualified Air Medical Program Provider will be required to abide by all compliance requirements in this section prior to contract start, and throughout the term of the Agreement: a. Current part 135 certificate. b. Compliance with all applicable TRMC, Department of Public Health, Emergency Medical Services Agency policies. c. Compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws and regulations d. Registered Nurse flight crew members shall have a minimum prior experience level of 3 years in an ICU, ER or other critical care based setting e. EMT Paramedic flight crew members shall have a minimum of one year prior experience providing direct pre hospital emergency medical care. f. Additionally, Registered Nurse and EMT Paramedic flight crew members shall maintain the following certifications: BCLS (CPR) American Heart Association Healthcare Provider or equivalent ACLS PALS Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP) g. Qualified Air Medical Program Provider shall assure that all medical flight crew members participate in such continuing education requirements as required by their licensure. h. In addition to their regular continuing education training programs, Qualified Air Medical Program Provider shall ensure that medical flight crew members maintain critical and specialty care skill levels by participating in annual clinical rotations and trainings in critical care or specialty care programs that may be available locally. These critical care or specialty care programs may include, but not be limited to, Pediatric Intensive Care, Neonatal Intensive Care, Labor and Delivery and Trauma Care. i. Qualified Air Medical Program Provider will develop and maintain its Flight Program Field Treatment Protocols and Guidelines. j. Qualified Air Medical Program Provider shall participate in TRMC s Trauma CQI Program to promote the highest quality of emergency medical care. k. Qualified Air Medical Program Provider shall have an internal CQI Program

8 Qualified Air Medical Program Provider shall provide the following insurance coverage: l. Aircraft Liability Insurance with a minimum limit of liability of not less than Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000) per occurrence. m. Professional (Malpractice) Liability in an amount not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence / $3,000,000 aggregate. 3.3 APPLICANT S QUALIFICATIONS (Technical Proposal) All Applicants seeking to be a Qualified Air Medical Program Provider and thereafter provide Air Medical Program clinical services and response to 911 scene patients must meet or exceed the qualifications outlined in this section: 1. Applicants shall be representative of entities in good standing that have provided aviation and medical services in the most recent 5 years. Provide a brief history of your company, including the number of years in business. State whether your organization is an individual proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or private nonprofit organization, and the date your company was formed or incorporated. Provide a statement as to any judgment, litigations, licensing violations, or other violations, outstanding or resolved, against your company in the past five (5) years to include: a. Any current or pending criminal cases or investigations against any officer or manager of Applicant or its contactor; b. Any criminal or civil cases or investigations for Medicare/Medicaid statute or contract violations involving the Applicant, its contactor and/or their personnel. c. Any investigations for affirmative action violations involving the Applicant, its contactor, and/or their personnel. 2. Applicants shall be, or shall subcontract with, an aviation services company that has provided FAA part 135 services to medical organizations in the most recent 5 years. Applicants shall provide documentation, which demonstrates their certification (or that of their co Applicant) to conduct VFR and NVG helicopter operations under Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 for the aircraft proposed in this RFP. A copy of the aviation company s Part 135 certificate is to be included. 3. Applicants shall be currently CAMTS accredited. A copy of the most recent accreditation is to be included. 4. Applicants shall have provided services similar to those required in this RFP in the most recent 5 years. A summary of relevant background information describing your company s experience in the provision of air medical program services similar to the requirements set forth under this proposal, which demonstrates your company's ability to provide the service described in your proposal. 5. Applicants shall have experienced key personnel identified to manage the required services. A brief description of the experience and qualifications of the proposed key staff members assigned to TRMC s Air Medical Program, the percentage of their time that will be devoted to this contract, and identify the program/project manager.

9 6. FAA part 135 Experience List the total number of hours the FAA certificate holder has flown in medical helicopters for the years 2012 through Primary Aircraft All proposal responses shall identify the type of aircraft it will provide. 8. Back Up Aircraft Applicant s will define its plan for use of back up aircraft, to include the maximum amount of time the Primary Aircraft will be out of service prior to a backup aircraft being provided. 9. Aviation Personnel Applicants shall describe their pilot staffing and work schedules, noting the use of permanent staff, and/or rotating/relief personnel. The Applicant will describe its local orientation program for pilots who will operate aircraft in response to TRMC flight requests. Applicants are to describe mechanic staffing and hours expected to be on site with the aircraft. 10. Medical Crew Applicants shall describe the minimum credentials, qualifications, and clinical experience of its proposed medical flight crew. Additionally, a full description of the medical crew s clinical and safety related initial and ongoing trainings shall be described. Applicants are to include a description of the proposed staffing and duty hours of the medical crew. 11. Readiness and Response The aircraft shall be staffed with a qualified pilot and crew 24/7. TRMC recognizes aircraft launch time (from the time that the call is received by the pilot until the aircraft lifts off) is a reflection of many factors including flight planning, weather verification and analysis, communication with the aviation operations center, the pilot s decision to accept or decline the mission based on aviation safety and appropriateness and the medical crew being mission ready. The Applicant shall describe its history of reliability excluding weather and current Response Time Targets used in comparable health systems. Applicants shall describe how their maintenance requirements will achieve maximum aircraft availability. 12. Cardiac Response Times TRMC will be opening our Cath Lab in July As cases progress in complexity, TRMC will need access to air transport to meet accreditation guidelines. Please detail your ability to assist TRMC in this process and the restrictions for transport based on primary aircraft assigned to our facility.

10 13. Quality Management Applicants shall describe its Quality Improvement plan for capture, monitoring and reporting data related to the Air Medical Transport Program. 14. EMS Personnel Safety Training Applicants shall describe the course content for training EMS field personnel regarding helicopter safety operations, and the frequency such courses will be held. 15. Safety and Risk Program Applicants shall describe their medical crew safety and risk management program. Applicants are to list any aviation accidents or incidents which they, or their part 135 contractor, have experienced within the most recent 3 years that were reportable as defined by federal or state law, and/or company insurance policy, noting circumstances, cause, and corrective action taken. 16. Patient Safety Program Applicants are to provide documentation of the benchmarks and performance indicators that have been established specific to patient safety. Please describe methods used to measure and monitor performance in achieving patient safety goals. 17. Insurance Coverage Applicants shall provide a copy of their policy and coverage limits as required in Section 3.2.l above. 3.4 Patient Charge Master and Payment Collections Applicants shall provide a copy of the Patient Charge Master that will be applicable to TRMC 911 scene responses and medical transports. Any changes that will impact the charges to TRMC patient transports are to be presented 30 days prior to implementation. Applicants are to provide a brief description of its collection practices for self pay and for balance billing of commercial and Medicare accounts. 4 Proposal Evaluation and Award 4.1 Initial Screening An evaluation team composed of representatives from TRMC will review all proposals for compliance and responsiveness. Non compliant or incomplete proposals are subject to rejection. 4.2 Proposal Evaluation The Evaluation Team will conduct an in depth evaluation of each proposal and rank them in relative position based on how fully each proposal meets the requirements of this RFP. The Evaluation Team may request oral presentations or demonstrations from the Applicant concerning information contained in the proposal. Request is solely for the purpose of clarifying proposals and should not signify a decision on the part of the Evaluation Team as to the selection of an Applicant. 4.3 TRMC will not necessarily award contract resulting from this RFP to the Applicant offering the lowest cost. Instead, award will be made on the basis of the proposal whose response presents the best overall value (proposal which optimizes quality, cost and efficiency).

11 4.4 TRMC reserves the right to make or not make an award based solely on the proposals, or to discuss the proposal further with one or more Applicant. 4.5 TRMC may, at its sole option, either accept an Applicant s initial submitted proposal by awarding the contract or reserves the right to enter into discussions with other Applicant s whose proposal was deemed to be reasonably considered for award. After discussions are concluded, additional Applicants may be allowed to submit a Best & Final Offer for consideration. 4.6 TRMC may, in its best interest, elect to enter into negotiations with the apparent low responsive and responsible Applicant. 4.7 The recommendations for award of contracts presented by the evaluation committees are subject to final review and approval of TRMC Board of Directors. 4.8 Successful Applicant will be advised by TRMC through a letter of intent to award. The notices of intent to award are subject to execution of a negotiated, written contract. 5 Contract Overview 5.1 Contract Provisions The contract will incorporate provisions of this RFP as well as portions of the successful proposal to which TRMC and Applicant agrees. The properly executed contract shall supersede all proposals, whether written or oral, and any and all negotiations, conversations, and discussions prior to execution of the contract. Any contract executed pursuant to this RFP shall be subject to TRMC policies and procedures and the review and approval of TRMC Board of Directors. 5.2 Term of Contract The services to be provided under the contact shall commence and terminate on mutually agreed upon dates. Terms for early termination shall be included in the final agreement as negotiated by both parties. The proposed term of any new agreement executed pursuant to this RFP is a period of 3 years with a proposed commencement date to be determined between the parties.