EFC_DHW_Pharmaceutical Services_8.15.2025.pdf
PDF 380 KB Posted
- Attached to
- EFC - Pharmaceutical Services
- Solicitation number
- 1050
- Issued by
- Ada County, Idaho
About this file
This is an exemption from competition request submitted by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) to the Department of Public Procurement (DOP) for pharmaceutical services. The request seeks a one-year exemption from competitive bidding to contract with Guardian Pharmacy Services in Boise to provide pharmaceutical services for Southwest Idaho Treatment Center (SWITC), State Hospital West (SHW), and the Payee Assessment Care Center (PACC). The pharmaceutical services are critical to patient care and include medication dispensing using Joint Commission-required individual blister pack medication cards, eMAR (Electronic Medical Administration Record) input by licensed pharmacists, same-day emergency medication delivery within a two-hour timeframe, barcode/QR code application to medication packaging for safe medication administration practices, and comprehensive billing services. The current contractor, PharMerica, provided notification of contract termination effective July 20, 2025, though it has agreed to continue services through August 20, 2025. The exemption request was submitted on August 15, 2025, with the Department of Public Procurement accepting supplier input through August 21, 2025, to allow the DOP Administrator to evaluate whether competitive bidding would be impractical, unreasonable, or disadvantageous to the state.
The Department evaluated the statewide Cardinal Health contract (PADD20200177) as an alternative but determined it was not viable due to Cardinal Health's inability to meet specific operational requirements, including providing individual blister packs with same-day delivery, offering eMAR services through licensed pharmacists, delivering emergency medications within the required two-hour window, applying barcodes/QR codes to medication packaging, and providing comprehensive billing for all medications needed. The evaluation concluded that utilizing Cardinal Health would be cost-prohibitive and would require the Department to hire additional staff and purchase specialized equipment. The exemption is justified on the basis that loss of pharmaceutical services would create a life/safety scenario that could harm or result in death of patients and clients, and that failure to meet Joint Commission requirements could jeopardize the facilities' Joint Commission Accreditation. The contract term sought is one year to allow the Department time to compile, post, and award a contract through a competitive solicitation process. No specific budget amount, pricing terms, or set-asides are identified in the exemption request documentation.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| DHW - Pharmaceutical Svcs.pdf |
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Text version
Southwest Idaho Treatment Center (SWITC) and State Hospital West (SHW) have contracted with Pharmacy CorporaƟon of America (PharMerica) pharmaceuƟcal services for over a decade. On May 12, 2025, the Family and Community Services (FACS) Division Administrator, Cameron Gilliland, received noƟficaƟon from PharMerica providing a thirty (30) calendar day noƟce of contract terminaƟon with the Department of Health and Welfare (Department). PharMerica’s director agreed to conƟnue providing services to both SWITC and SHW unƟl another contract could be put in place. On June 11, 2025, an InvitaƟon to Bid (ITB) request was received and assigned to Grants/Contracts Officer, Signe Jensen. She researched the possibility of uƟlizing the statewide contract with Cardinal Health (PADD20200177).
It was determined that due to the following reasons, the Cardinal Health contract was not viable opƟon.
Cardinal Health subcontracts to a local pharmacy that does not have the ability to provide the Joint Commission required individual blister packs method medicaƟon cards.
In emergency situaƟons, clients/paƟents must receive medicaƟons within a two (2)-hour Ɵmeframe. The blister packs method medicaƟon cards would be shipped overnight from Nebraska and would not arrive within the required two (2)-hour Ɵmeframe.
There is no opƟon to obtain emergency medicaƟons with same day delivery.
A licensed Pharmacist must input medicaƟons into the Electronic Medical AdministraƟon
Record (eMAR). Cardinal Health’s subcontracted local pharmacy does not offer this required service.
Cardinal Health does not offer billing services for all medicaƟons needed for clients/paƟents at SHW and SWITC.
Cardinal Health does not have the capacity to meet the Joint Commission requirement of adding a barcode/QR code to the medicaƟon packaging. The barcode/QR code scanning must be uƟlized in both SWITC and SHW by nursing staff to ensure safe medicaƟon pracƟces.
The statewide Cardinal Health Contract is for wholesale purchases, not for individual retail sales.
To work around the issues listed above, the use Cardinal Health’s pharmaceuƟcal services would be cost prohibiƟve. A pharmacist and addiƟonal employees to process the invoicing and billing requirements would need to be added to staff. The proper equipment to process bulk medicaƟons into bubble packs would need to be purchased.
Based on the findings, Dr. Dana Garner, Debra Brown (Nursing Director, SHW), and Nicki Muir (Pharmacy Director, SHW), determined Cardinal Health is unable to provide the necessary pharmaceutical services to meet client/patient needs at SWITC and SHW.
A second termination letter from PharMerica was received June 20, 2025, terminating contract number IC1939 with SWITC effective Sunday, July 20, 2025. However, since receiving the second notification PharMerica, has agreed to supply the necessary medications though August 20, 2025.
Due to the complexity and very specific requirements of the services, the Department is requesƟng an exempƟon from compeƟƟon to uƟlize Guardian Pharmacy Services in Boise to procure these necessary pharmaceuƟcal services for SWITC, SHW, and the PayeƩe Assessment Care Center (PACC) for one (1) year to provide Ɵme for the Department to compile, post, and award a Contract through the solicitaƟon process. Loss of these pharmaceuƟcal services at SWITC, SHW, and PACC will result in paƟents/clients not having access to medicaƟons. Without medicaƟons, this presents a life/safety scenario which may cause harm and even death to paƟents/clients.
In addiƟon, the loss of service and/or inability to meet Joint Commission requirements threatens Joint Commission AccreditaƟon due to not adhering to specific safety regulaƟons.
Signe Jensen
Grants/Contracts Officer
Department of Health and Welfare
Signe.jensen@dhw.idaho.gov
| 2025-08-15T11:27:28-0600 | |
| Signe Jensen |
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