DOH24-024 Addendum # 2 QAs Final.pdf

Mission:

To protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Ron DeSantis Governor

Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD

State Surgeon General

Vision: To be the Healthiest State in the Nation

Florida Department of Health Division of Administration • Bureau of General Services 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin B-07 • Tallahassee, FL 32399

PHONE: 850-245-4199

FloridaHealth.gov

Accredited Health Department Public Health Accreditation Board

Pursuant to 60A-1.042, an agency may request information by issuing a written Request for Information.

Agencies may use Requests for Information in circumstances including, but not limited to, determining whether, or not, to competitively procure commodities or contractual services, determining what solicitation process to use for a particular need, or researching general, special, or technical specifications to be included in a solicitation.

Addendum # 2

Questions and Answers

ITB DOH24-024

Modernization of Patient Record and Practice Management Process

DATE: DATE

TO: Potential Vendors

FROM: Bill Zimmerman, Procurement Officer

Central Purchasing Office

SUBJECT: Addendum # 2

The purpose of this addendum is to answer questions received in accordance with Section VIII, Questions, of the Request for Information (RFI). Please see the Department’s response to questions below.

Mission:

To protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Ron DeSantis Governor

Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD

State Surgeon General

Vision: To be the Healthiest State in the Nation

Division of Administration • Bureau of General Services 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin B-07 • Tallahassee, FL 32399

PHONE: 850-245-4199

FloridaHealth.gov

Accredited Health Department Public Health Accreditation Board

# Question Answer

Oracle would like to respond to the Department of Public Health’s RFI for EMR.

However, due to other RFP’s in house and the limited time after the Q and A I don’t think it will be possible.

Would the state consider a two week extension?

Date Extended by 1 week.

What’s the projected budget for this project?

Budget is flexible depending on services provided and best offers received.

We define system users as each individual user login/password. Per the RFI 10,000 users are indicated. Please confirm FDOH requires 10,000 individual user logins / passwords. Can you provide a breakdown of their roles/departments?

Yes, we require over 10,000 users logins

Are any of the required external logins such as Community Health Workers (CHW), First Responders, etc.?

External staff login – No.

Staff logging in offsite – Yes (e.g., school or jail Services staff)

What dental services do you provide?

Everything except major oral surgery

RFI DOH24-024

What is the total number of dentists accessing the system and which of the 67 sites have dental?

51 dentist and 31 locations (sites) that provide dental services.

How many prescribers will need Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances?

What is the number of scanning locations?

67 county health departments, some with Multiple service sites.

What is the total of Telehealth hours needed?

Approximately 200 appointments per month.

10 How many electronic fax connections are needed?

At least 67 for each CHD (some have multiple Service sites)

What type of training and onboarding support do you anticipate requiring from your new vendor?

Configuration training and user management.

Please describe your implementation/training vision. Train-the-Trainer or End-User training provided by the vendor?

Train the Trainer

The RFI states “interested in partnering with an established, U.S.-based vendor…” For clarity of what you’re expecting, and because, recently, we have seen states/customers’ RFPs which require all state/customer specific work to be done within the USA, can you confirm what Florida’s expectation of the work being done all in the USA?

US Data hosted system.

The RFI states “Visibility into data in all 67 counties” - Can you clarify if you need 67 individual databases (we call them tenants) or does the state need the ability to "see all tenants", or only need the ability to run reports or auditing off of all the data?

Does the state deliver Behavioral or Mental Health services via the Public Health department?

We do not want 67 different data bases.

Yes, admin users will need the ability to “see all tenants”.

Some of the 67 county health departments do provide behavioral or mental health services.

Does the state offer any Home Visitor Programs? Nurse Family Partnership?

Not through our bureau’s current EHR workflows/process. There may be other divisions who provide these services and document in a different system.

What is the targeted date to release an RFP?

None at this time.

Have you considered a phased rollout, or do you anticipate simultaneous deployment across all 67 locations?

Phased/ regional approach (7-8) roll outs

Is Billing centralized statewide currently?

No

What Clearinghouse(s) are currently in use across the state?

Optum (Change Healthcare RPA); Availity; Medicaid web portal as needed.

What legacy systems are currently in place?

Health Management System (HMS) integrated with Optum/CHC Clinician (eLabs, eRx) and Optum RPA.

How are IT resources dispersed throughout the state/counties? What are their skill sets currently?

Varies by county.

How does the state support legacy systems today? Whom are the resources supporting the systems? How do you envision those resources will be engaged in supporting the new EHR solution?

State health office support staff.

Are those leading the process of acquiring and implementing the system centrally located or do they work virtually? How do those resources work together today?

Some of both. These resources work together in office and virtually

What are the roles of the stakeholders across the state involved in development of the RFI and leading the RFI and potential RFP process?

Leadership, Managers, End Users

Is there currently a Learning Management System in use?

Yes

How is AI currently being used? How do you anticipate using it in the future?

We are looking for ways to leverage AI functionality.

Is there currently a portal solution in place? If so, which solution is currently in use?

Yes patient portal branded as Florida Health Connect

3.1.1.1.19. Exposures - can you provide examples or use

cases of what exposures?

Communicable disease exposures (e.g., STIs, TB, HIV)

3.1.1.2.6. Disaster preparedness functionality - can you

provide examples?

System backup, database backup, downtime procedure

3.1.1.6.12. Claims Processing. Ideally this system will

allow for one claim for multiple

We are not looking for claim notes to be stored on the CMS1500. Notes are not being sent currently in any claim.

lines of service on the same day. This includes the ability to make notes on that date of claim. Can you provide an example or cross reference a box on the CMS1500?

3.1.1.6.26.

Organization Agreements. Third party payment agreements from companies that agree to receive services from the Department. Can you provide a use case?

We have agreements with local business that need to provide vaccinations to new hires (i.e.. Funeral home employees, jail employees, veterinarian service employees, etc..). We provide the vaccinations/services and invoice the company for payment.

Could you provide examples or scenarios of typical workflows your clinicians encounter daily?

Sick visits, Well visits (adults and pediatrics), Family Planning, STD testing and treatment, HIV testing and treatment, TB testing and treatment, some CHDs provide prenatal care, some “simple” outpatient surgical procedures

How customizable must templates and dashboards be for your users? Can you describe any specific clinical scenarios that require high levels of customization?

Customization based on program specific needs.

What specific challenges are you currently facing with your billing, scheduling, and eligibility verification processes?

Eligibility verification: We would like more information in the results.

We also want to be able to have the real-time and batch verification with one vendor

Are there specific complexities or workflows in financial processing (e.g., claims scrubbing, denial management) that you feel are critical for the new system to address?

no

Can you clarify which current external integrations (e.g., labs, registries, Medicaid) have been problematic in the past, and why?

All 67 CHDs share oneTax ID, payments are often misdirected. We need to be reimbursed based on the NPI number in the claim.

Beyond those listed in the RFI (FHIR, HIE, CDC, etc.), are there any additional systems or databases you foresee needing integration in the future?

Not at this time

Does the state have an existing Analytics tool, like Power BI, Tableau, SaaS, homegrown, etc?

Power BI, Qlik, Tableau, Logi

How extensively do you currently use analytics or reporting tools for population health management, and what improvements or expansions do you desire?

HIE encounter notification service, HIE patient query service, eCQMs for certain CHDs who are also FQHCs, and UDS+ as well.

What types of analytics, trend analysis, or predictive capabilities would most enhance your clinicians' and administrators' decision-making processes?

HIV viral load suppression, TB DOT, lab flow sheets to trend patient labs over time

What are your expectations regarding scalability, given your 10,000+ users across 67 counties?

Based off vendor recommendations. We are looking for a reliable system

Are there any specific technical constraints, such as bandwidth or infrastructure limitations, across the counties we should be aware of?

None at this time.

Which identity providers or SSO standards (SAML, OAuth, etc.) does your organization currently use?

SAML, OAuth

Can you detail your specific requirements around auditing capabilities, particularly regarding user access and activity logging?

Record user action and modifications to the database. Ability to see who did it and what time and what actions were performed. Must be compliance with EHR certification requirements.

Could you outline the key pain points with your current system from a user-experience perspective?

This information will not be shared at this time.

What are your patients’ primary complaints or frustrations about your current patient portal, if applicable?

Not available for users under the age of 18.

Could you specify must-have versus nice-to-have features for patient engagement (e.g., mobile apps, texting reminders, remote check-in)?

Must Have: Text reminders, patient self-scheduling

Nice to have: Remote Check-in and registration, online new client documents

3.1.1.6.24. Bankruptcies - can you provide more specifics?

What would the EHR/Billing need to do besides a

The EHR needs to capture record status. In addition, stop any billing and/or collections activities for the client

Does FDOH provide central scheduling?

Is your current solution on premise or cloud? Who is the vendor for this current solution?

Both

Do you have any anticipated budget and implementation timeline for this project?

None at this time

Do you have any restrictions on using offshore implementation resources?

None at this time

Do you prefer to have solution implemented on specific cloud service providers (AWS, Azure & Google, etc.…)

Azure

Before this RFI does DOH has carried out any market research if so, please provide some insights?

none

After the RFI do you prefer to have RFP or any State contract vehicles to procure the solutions?

TBD

Do you have any specific standards for cyber security, data privacy and system availability?

There are however FDOH is open to learn more on what what vendors have to offer

Will you be interested in demonstration of our solution capabilities as a part of the RFI?

Will State willing to sign NDA as part of protecting our confidential product information?

TBD by legal department

Can the state elaborate on current or future identity management solutions that it would like to utilize with a proposed solution?

Current or future identity management solutions:

Joiner/mover/leaver processes for DOH workforce are tightly controlled for identity proofing (background checks, fingerprinting, etc.), account provisioning, and access management (authentication and authorization). The identity provider is Microsoft Entra ID using conditional access features including MFA. The department is currently evaluating identity management and governance solutions (for example, SailPoint, Okta, Ping, etc.) to better inventory and manage user access particularly for third-party systems which have either not been or can’t be onboarded into Entra ID.

Similarly, DOH has onboarded several client/customer-facing systems using B2C and B2B account processes in Entra ID and plans to expand that footprint in the coming months. However, a given system could potentially use other identity stores approved by DOH if they are able to meet Department and regulatory requirements and an exception is approved and recorded.

Regarding making payments, we assume the State will need credit card processing functionality, please clarify

Yes, billing services includes processing card payments.

In the interoperability section (3.1.2), how is the State currently connecting with the mentioned external systems.

Interfaces, Web services, SFTP etc, based on vendor capabilities and types of data being shared.

If the state is looking for full dental functionality, please describe your dental department:

1. How many dental brick & mortar sites do you have?

2. What is the number of operatory/dental chairs at each brick & mortar dental site?

3. How many mobile dental vans/programs do you have?

4. Do you have dental vans? Portable dental equipment?

5. Are all dental sites open/seeing patients at the same time? (Are some open while others are closed?)

6. What are the names and version numbers of current dental practice & clinical management software? How many sites are using dental software that will need converting?

7. What are the names and versions of current dental imaging software?

8. Please list current dental image acquisition devices with makes and models (Panorex machines, are the pans 2 D or 3D, sensors, PSP systems, intraoral cameras, electronic impression scanning):

9. What is the number of Concurrent Users (# of people accessing the database at the same time on the busiest day)?

10. Do you have a Central Dental Billing Office? Or does each site handle own billing?

11. How many dental sites will do dental billing?

12. Do you require patient statement services?

13. Do you require patient reminders, text, phone, email?

Patient Surveys?

14. Is connectivity to Health Information Exchange (HIE) required?

Please view the public website for general information on dental offerings: Dental Health | Florida Department of Health

1. How many dental brick & mortar sites do you have? There are currently 51 brick and mortar dental sites.

2. What is the number of operatory/dental chairs at each brick & mortar dental site? Most sites have 2-4 operatories. Leon has 12 operatories and Marion has 8.

3. How many mobile dental vans/programs do you have? Currently there are 9 programs with mobile units.

4. Do you have dental vans? Portable dental equipment? Dental vans to haul equipment to sites. Currently there are 36 programs using portable equipment.

5. Are all dental sites open/seeing patients at the same time? (Are some open while others are closed?) The sites vary depending on the number of providers working. A clinic may be closed while the dentist is at the other clinic or the dental hygienist may be providing hygiene services.

6. What are the names and version numbers of current dental practice & clinical management software? How many sites are using dental software that will need converting? Patterson Eaglesoft- multiple versions. Schein Dentrix. Approximately 50 may need data migration.

7. What are the names and versions of current dental imaging software?

ScanX phosphoretic plates, Schick and Dexis sensors, panoramic sensors.

8. Please list current dental image acquisition devices with makes and models (Panorex machines, are the pans 2 D or 3D, sensors, PSP systems, intraoral cameras, electronic impression scanning): Most panorex machines are 2D. Intraoral cameras are Mouthwatch, Schick, and others unknown.

https://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/community-health/dental-health/index.html

15. Do you require Electronic Prescription capabilities? If so, how many prescribing dentist providers do you have?

16. For training program development, what is your dental staffing mix?

i. What is the number of dentists?

ii. What is the number of dental hygienists?

iii. What is the number of dental assistants?

iv. What is the number of front desk staff?

v. What is the number of dental practice managers?

vi. What is the number of dental billers?

vii. What is the number of other dental staff?

viii. What is the number of Admin/IT Staff that need access to the software reports etc.?

9. What is the number of Concurrent Users (# of people accessing the database at the same time on the busiest day)? Within 1 brick and mortar location there may be 4-5 at one time.

10. Do you have a Central Dental Billing Office? Or does each site handle own billing? Each site handles its own billing posting services in the electronic oral health record and in the Health Management System (HMS). Billing hubs review and send to insurance for payment. Billing hubs check explanation of bills.

11. How many dental sites will do dental billing? 70

12. Do you require patient statement services? The clinic prints a walk out statement in the electronic oral health record. The services billed in HMS need to print a patient statement also.

13. Do you require patient reminders, text, phone, email? Patient Surveys? Yes, Unsure about the patient surveys.

14. Is connectivity to Health Information Exchange (HIE) required? HMS will connect with HIE. The electronic oral health record needs to integrate with HMS.

15. Do you require Electronic Prescription capabilities? If so, how many prescribing dentist providers do you have? Yes. There are currently 57 prescribing providers.

16. For training program development, what is your dental staffing mix?

i. What is the number of dentists? 57

ii. What is the number of dental hygienists? 102

iii. What is the number of dental assistants? 118

iv. What is the number of front desk staff? 140

v. What is the number of dental practice managers? 55

vi. What is the number of dental billers? Fran may know better.

Estimating 40

vii. What is the number of other dental staff? 20

viii. What is the number of Admin/IT Staff that need access to the software reports etc.? 60 dental practice managers or dentists, 3 from state health office, IT

In regard to 3.1.1.5.3 Archive Records, could the state provide a overview of what the Archive Records requirements is? For example, is this in reference to archiving records as a part of the usage of the new system? Or, is this a need to archive the legacy Patient Record/Practice Management system data that is/are being replaced by the future solution?

Records Management - Division of Library and Information Services - Florida Department of State

If it is for the archiving of legacy solution data, please provide the information following:

Database and Data Specifications:

How many databases will need to be archived as part of this initiative?

What is the total volume of data (in GB/TB) stored in each database targeted for archival?

Can the state provide details on the current format and structure of the data within each database (e.g., relational, non-relational, structured/unstructured)?

Are there any image, video, audio, or other non-text file types included within the data sets intended for archival?

TBD

As a part of the archiving solution, are there any physical paper based documents that need to be scanned and converted to digital format and stored? If so, please provide the following:

What are the total Number of pages of documents to be scanned?

Where are the documents located and how are they stored (in binders, loose in file cabinets, in boxes, stapled together) Is there any de-prep/reassembly required after scanning?

How are the files to be indexed?

TBD- There are some paper based documents to be considered https://dos.fl.gov/library-archives/records-management/ https://dos.fl.gov/library-archives/records-management/

Is any indexing required at the document level (i.e.

document type or document date), or only at the file folder level?

Usage and Access:

Which specific state departments or roles will require access to query the archived data?

What is the anticipated frequency and complexity (simple lookups vs. complex analytics) of queries against the archived solution on a monthly basis?

Will users require real-time or near-real-time access, or is occasional batch querying acceptable?

Does the state require identity and access management integration with existing state systems, such as Active Directory, LDAP, or Single Sign-On (SSO)?

Supervisors, Managers and above

Frequency and complexity varies

Real time and batch querying will be utilized

Yes

Retention and Recovery:

What are the state's data retention policies and compliance requirements for archived data?

Does the state have disaster recovery and data backup requirements that the archival solution must support?

Section 257.36, Florida Statutes, applies to public records as defined in 119.011(11), F.S. The CHD must retain the billing folders for seven (7) years.

You are required to delete the files by year after the disposition time has passed. Retention Schedule GS4-80 has been identified by the Agency Records Manager as the schedule that should be used to disposition the billing files.

Clinical policy is attached.

Does the state have disaster recovery and data backup requirements that the archival solution must support? - Will be based on vendor capabilities and scope of services provided.

1. Overall health and availability of the server(s)/application.

a. This is measured in uptime. Typically, we use 99.999% uptime. That allows for patching etc.

2. Data backups.

a. This is usually measured in success and retention. All backups will be monitored for success and retained for X weeks, or months or years. Standard is Daily differentials, Weekly full, and Monthly full for archive.

Monthly will be kept for X years.

3. Disaster recovery

a. Disaster recovery will be maintained as a X (Cold/Warm/Hot) remote site. Data will be kept in sync on a X basis. This is your RTO and RPO and standard is usually daily for servers and 15/30/60 min for databases.

4. Server network connectivity.

a. This is measured in redundancy and failover. If you want redundant connections with load balanced or failover.

This is all about cost.

Migration and Implementation:

Can the state provide details on the source systems for data migration, including types, age, current hosting environments, and database versions?

Can the state provide details on the source systems for data migration, including types, age, current hosting environments, and database versions?

Does the state anticipate needing historical data migration assistance, and if so, what volume and duration of historical data is expected to be migrated?

15 year old system hosted on an InterSystems IRIS environment.

Yes. Volume to be determined.

Support and Maintenance:

What are the expected service-level agreements (SLAs) regarding solution availability, query performance, and issue resolution?

Does the state have any preferences or requirements regarding ongoing technical support, maintenance, or managed services from the vendor?

Vendor should provide a copy of a proposed SLA.

Will all submitted questions and answers be provided on the website for all vendors to see?

Will all submitted questions and answers be provided on the website for all vendors to see?

Can we get a list of all applications that will be replaced by the new EHR?

Can you please provide the list of hospitals/clinics, agencies that will be included in the new initiative?

67 County health departments (some have multiple service sites)

Can we get a breakdown of the 10,000 users?

# of Providers # of Mid-Levels (NP's, etc) # of Dentists # of Dental Assistants, Hygenists

See #81

Can we get a chart count for conversions?

Not at this time

The RFI footer indicates there are a total of nine pages. The first page of the document has no footer and the final page in the document is ‘Page 8 of 9’. Is there an additional page 9 and if so, could you provide the missing page 9?

There are no additional pages

Section VI, Response Format, part g requests ‘Proposed budget/ Costs/ Contract Types’. The RFI is not asking for timelines, implementation methodology, resource requirements, etc. What services should be included within the proposed budget/costs?

We are relying on the vendor to propose the timeline and methodology etc. All applicable cost should be included in the response.

Section VI, Response Format, part g requests ‘Proposed budget/ Costs/ Contract Types’. Should vendor provide estimated budget/Costs for post-production Maintenance

Based off vendor recommendation and Operations of the solution as part of the vendors services scope and for how many years?

Section 3.1.2 Interoperability. DOR identifies several specific systems for ‘integration’ – STARS, Immunization Registry, FHIR, Claims and Billing Clearing House – along with other systems requiring ‘interoperability’. Can DOH please provide more information on what integrations will be required (e.g., lab, radiology, etc.)?

interoperability with current FDOH systems, including STARS 2.0, FLSHOTs, CAREWARE, PROVIDE. We also need electronic prescribing, electronic lab ordering/resulting.

Is there data migration/conversion required from legacy systems (e.g., patient demographics, clinical content, etc.)?

Can you provide an estimate of the breakdown of the anticipated 10k users by role (nurses, prescribers, therapists, front office/scheduling, social workers, billing staff, etc.)?

Licensed Personnel with HMS access

192 (doctors, dentist and pharmD), 194 APRNs, 7 Pas, 1580 RNs

421 LPNs statewide

How many concurrent users are anticipated at peak times?

Up to 10,000 users

What are some of the limitations/bottlenecks being experienced currently?

See #45

Has the Department decided on an implementation strategy, phased or “big bang” for the 67 CHDs?

Phased approach would be ideal

Is the State seeking a replacement Laboratory Information System (LIS) for the Bureau of Public Health Laboratories as part of this future procurement, or only an interface to the existing BPHL LIS?

No, this is out of scope

If the goal is to retain the existing BPHL LIS, can you provide details about the system and its ability to receive electronic lab orders/send electronic results back to the new EHR?

Yes, they goal is to retain. Must be able to meet the same requirements as commercial labs.

For Appendix A 1.1.6, can you provide information on how program eligibility is determined for Department services?

Or is this referring to insurance eligibility coverage and pre-authorization checking?

Program eligibility is determined using federal Poverty Guidelines from the HHS.

For Appendix A 1.1.13, does the Department have an existing dental system that requires an interface or will the new EHR include dental capabilities?

For Appendix A 1.1.13, does the Department have an existing dental system that requires an interface or will the new EHR include dental capabilities?

Either option is ok.

For Appendix A 3.1.1.5.3, is the Department seeking a data archive of legacy/historical data or conversion/migration of historical data to the new EHR (or both)? If data migration is desired, what is the number of unique patient records to be migrated? If data archive is desired, or a hybrid of archived data and migrated data, what is the number of unique electronic records to be archived?

FDOH Is open to both options

Historical data or conversion/migration of historical data to the new

EHR.

Volume to be determined.

For Appendix A 3.1.1.5.6, is there a State MPI that the new EHR will integrate with or will the new EHR serve as the MPI for the Department?

To be integrated with the Department’s enterprise solution.

For Appendix A 3.1.1.6.14, is the Department seeking Medical Necessity checking?

For Appendix A 3.1.1.8.4, is the Department seeking a pharmacy dispensing solution with inventory management for medications issued internally?

No. The EHR would be integrated with the Bureau of State Pharmacy’s HOMER inventory system.

For Appendix A 3.1.1.8.6, is the Department seeking an interface to existing imaging/radiology/PACS solutions or only the information available via Health Information Exchange (HIE)?

For Appendix A 3.1.1.8.9, can you elaborate more on this requirement? Will mass screening patients be registered in the system and how will screening negative records be treated? Will all workers performing screenings be created as system users? Will that increase the total number of concurrent users temporarily?

Need the ability to quickly add temporary users (in case of needing to do quick scale up of staff during a public health emergency). Also, lab orders and results and associated treatments or immunizations would be documented within the system.

For Appendix A 3.1.1.8.15, is there an existing referral tool that requires integration or is this requirement to keep a list of all referrals together for a patient within the patient electronic chart? Are all referrals internal, or are there external referral integration needs for services provided outside the Department?

A referral tracking module exists within the current system.

For Appendix A 3.1.2.9 and 3.1.2.10, is the Department seeking integration to existing teleradiology and telehealth systems that will persist after the new EHR is deployed, or is DOH seeking an EHR that offers these capabilities?

For Appendix A 3.1.2.16 and 3.1.2.17, are these existing records systems that require interface to the new EHR or is this capability part of the scope of the new EHR? If these are interfaces, can you provide more information on data format for interfaces?

These are existing records systems that require interface to the new EHR. A variety of data formats used.

Has a timeline for the solicitation release been determined?

Can the Department please fill out the attached volume collection worksheet?

Yes – see attached spreadsheet

Does the Department have a preferred cloud service provider or infrastructure standard (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)?

Is there a preferred architecture or technology stack required for interoperability (e.g., FHIR-only APIs, HL7, X12)?

Open to options

For the “single sign-on” requirement—does the Department have a specific identity management platform (e.g., Azure AD, Okta)?

What level of customization is allowed or preferred for EHR dashboards, forms, and templates?

Open to review available customization options. Ideally the program areas would like to be able to filter/edit views on the dashboards, create templates specific to program area needs etc.

Does the Department have an existing Master Patient Index (MPI), or is the vendor expected to build/integrate one?

To be integrated with the Department’s enterprise solution.

Will the Department provide access or documentation for the following integrations prior to go-live: STARS (STD/Disease Tracking), TAP Portal, LMMIS(Medicaid), CDC’s EDN system, National HIE or ENS?

This would be necessary.

Are vendors expected to support bi-directional real-time data exchange for all external systems listed in Appendix A?

Yes, if the solution allows that capability

Will the Department provide sandbox/test environments for integration with state and federal health data systems?

yes

Will the Department provide sample formats or schemas for mandatory reports (e.g., FPAR, RVCT, eCQMs)?

Should reporting modules support state-mandated, federal-mandated, and custom reports out-of-the-box, or is configuration expected post-implementation?

state-mandated, federal-mandated, and custom reports out-of-the-box

Will vendors be required to maintain compliance with future reporting changes (e.g., UDS+, HHS standards)?

Does the Department require integration with specific clearinghouses for claims processing, or can the vendor recommend one?

Currently we utilize Availity and Optum and yes integration would be preferred. We are open to recommendations.

For the billing rules engine and sliding scale calculations, will the Department provide pre-existing rules and logic?

Yes, we can.

How does the Department currently handle third-party agreements and payment plans, and will those rules transfer to the new system?

3rd party agreements are payment arrangements that are currently collected on manually by each county.

How many user roles are currently defined across the 10,000+ users?

See #81

Is role-based access currently standardized across all counties, or does it vary by location?

Varies by location.

Should auditing of chart access and modifications be viewable by both administrative users and clinical managers?

Is there a preferred third-party platform for SMS and email communications, or should the EHR provide its own communication services?

Will the Department manage its own patient education content in the portal, or is the vendor expected to provide this?

Should the patient portal support multilingual interfaces and forms?

How many public health clinics will be implementing the EMR please exclude Dental clinics?

In all 67 counties

How many dental clinics will be implementing the EMR?

Provided in 56 counties

How many total patient encounters/visits does the department have yearly?

~13,000,000

How many providers are prescribing medications?

Approximately 300 statewide.

How many total FTE’s?

~10,000

What labs does the department use for their reference lab? Please list all reference labs.

Quest LabCorp

BPHL

Natera

BTO

CDR Lab Plus some local hospital labs and other specialty labs

Will the department need DSM-5 for any outpatient BH visits?

Will the state extend the deadline by two weeks? Additional time will be needed for a cost proposal following the Q and A.

Deadline extended one week