ESBD_432150_1751316063902_HHS0016363 RFI Public Health Electronic Health Record (PH EHR) Solution.pdf

Texas Health and Human Services Commission RFI for DSHS Public Health Regions (PHR) Public Health Electronic Health Records (PH EHR) Solutions

RFI HHS0016363

CECILE E. YOUNG, EXECUTIVE COMMISSIONER

Request for Information (RFI) for

Department of State Health Services (DSHS)

Public Health Regions (PHR) Public Health Electronic Health Record (PH EHR) Solutions

RFI No. HHS00016363

Date of Release: June 30, 2025

Response Due: July 30, 2025 at 10:30 am Central Time

NIGP Class/Item Codes:

948 - 43 Health Information Services

958 - 82 Records Management Services, Including Document Management Services and Technology Integration

1100 West 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756 Mail Code: 2020

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose

1.2 Background

1.3 Vision

2. General Instructions and Response Requirements

2.1 Questions

2.1.1 Product

2.1.2 Technical

2.1.3 Cost Structure

2.2 General Information

2.3 Response Submission, Date, Time, and Location

2.4 Designated Point of Contact

2.5 Response Format

2.6 Texas Public Information Act

2.7 Disclaimers

2.8 Acceptance of Terms and Conitions ……………………………………………15

List of Tables

Table 1: Initial DSHS Programs & High-Level Functionality

1. Introduction

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) on behalf of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to seek input and information regarding Public Health Electronic Health Record (PH EHR) solutions. HHSC defines a PH EHR solution as a system that houses electronic versions of client medical records and case management information, is maintained by designated providers over time, and may include all key administrative, clinical, and case management data relevant to the clients’ care under a particular set of providers, including, but not limited to, demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, medical history, immunizations, laboratory data, and radiology reports.

In addition, the PH EHR would allow clients or their authorized representatives, consistent with Texas Health and Safety Code § 181.102 or other applicable state and federal laws, to review their medical records through a self-service portal.

This notice is issued solely for information and planning and does not constitute a Request for Offer (RFO) or a commitment on the part of the HHSC to conduct a solicitation in the future. Respondents are advised that HHSC will not pay for information submitted in response to this RFI, nor will it compensate respondents for any costs incurred in the development/furnishing of a response. HHSC will not accept or respond to telephone calls, emails, or questions regarding this RFI. Please note that a vendor’s participation in this RFI will neither preclude nor give advantage to that vendor in any future solicitation. Similarly, a vendor’s decision not to submit a response to this RFI will neither preclude nor disadvantage that vendor in any future solicitation.

HHSC is authorized to engage with vendors through this RFI by Texas Government Code Section 2155.090(b). HHSC will conduct this RFI and engage with the vendor community in accordance with the Health and Human Services (HHS) Vendor Interaction Policy, available on the HHS website at https://hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/vendor-contract-information/vendor-interaction-policy.pdf.

1.1 Purpose

HHSC is specifically seeking insight into the current practices and lessons learned from PH EHR implementations in the public health setting including the advantages and disadvantages to implemented strategies, information on the emerging trends and technologies, including conceptual and theoretical solutions, as well as information that aligns with agency interests pertaining to vendor solutions.

https://hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/vendor-contract-information/vendor-interaction-policy.pdf https://hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/vendor-contract-information/vendor-interaction-policy.pdf

DSHS may take the information generated by this RFI into consideration as it develops a future solicitation for a PH EHR.

1.2 Background

Current Environment

The DSHS Public Health Regions (PHRs) and the Texas Center for Infectious Disease (TCID) Outpatient Clinic provide direct clinical and case management services to underserved populations throughout the state at clinical sites, clients’ homes, and in the field, as well as responding to community disaster needs. There are approximately 280 clinical and case management staff at over 115 clinic locations across the state conducting over 60,000 clinic visits each year.

Clinics: Currently, the documentation of these client encounters entails entry into the current platform, the clinics current system, or paper process. A significant amount of DSHS PHR staff time is currently devoted to entering encounter data, disease reports, and other data on paper charts, or into IT systems that do not interface with the current platform resulting in dual data entry and increases the potential for data entry error. This process requires manual data quality management and duplicative data entry processes. There are also a significant number of historical and ongoing records, in both paper and digital formats, that have not been entered into the current platform. It is estimated that there are more than 500,000 client records from previous years.

Funding and Payments: DSHS PHR services are financed through a mix of federal and state funds tied to specific programs. Clinics may also collect reimbursement for certain services from payers including Medicaid and Self- Pay, and other third-party payors. An interface with the Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) and other third-party vendors is needed for claims submission and processing.

Table 1 provides a listing of programs and functions performed by the DSHS PHR clinics for consideration in response.

Table 1: Initial DSHS Programs & High-Level Functionality

DSHS Programs

Specialized Health and Social Services/Public Health Case Management (PHCM)

Title V activities for maternal and child health

Personal Care Services

Community First Choice

Hansen's Disease

Infectious Disease (TB/HIV/STD)

STD/HIV Case Management

Tuberculosis (TB) Fast Track – (This allows for TB testing without enrollment in the TB program.)

DIS Fast Track – (This allows for STD/HIV testing without enrollment in the STD/HIV program.)

Perinatal Hepatitis B

Rabies Biologics

Immunizations

Case Management – Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN)

Generic workflow (This allows for a variety of chief complaints such as sore throat, congestion, shortness of breath, joint pain, urinary symptoms, nausea, wellness physicals, etc.)

Functionality

Clinical/Care Management

Scheduling

Insurance Eligibility

Program Assessments

Inventory Management

Electronic Referral In/Out Management

Client Portal

Claiming, Payments, and Reconciliation

Analytics & Reporting, including custom reporting such as trending reporting for patient vitals and labs.

Form Creation

Asynchronous documentation of services

Interoperability with Texas systems for disease surveillance, laboratory testing, immunization registry, health information exchanges and Medicaid eligibility.

Electronic Ordering and results for Labs and Radiology

Pharmacy and Medication Management/e-Prescribing

User management and role-based user management and navigation

1.3 Vision

DSHS would like to identify innovative Software as a Service (SaaS) PH EHR solutions that will significantly enhance process flow and efficiency across DSHS's PHR clinics. Our objective is to identify solutions that may be available in the market that will address industry trends that support service delivery and care coordination in innovative ways, leading to improved operational effectiveness, an integrated state-wide service delivery model, and greater transparency among stakeholders and systems.

HHSC is seeking information that will address how solutions address industry trends, concerns, and best practices for use in a large state public health department, including features that provide an intuitive design that aligns with efficient user workflows.

To better understand the current market, examples of information DSHS seeks to understand would include items such as:

A. Enhanced Case Management, such as improved documentation for longitudinal care.

B. Features allowing clients to access services in-clinic or via self-service options.

C. Tools and techniques to streamline scheduling that reduces no-show rates.

D. Approaches to manage Telehealth.

E. Solutions for the efficient use of electronic registration and assessments to minimize paper processing.

F. Proven processes to improve tracking capabilities for inbound and outbound referrals.

G. lessons learned from state implementations with many statewide locations.

H. Enhanced mechanisms for verifying insurance eligibility, claims processing and reconciliation, tracking outstanding balances, and facilitating new payment methods.

I. Streamlined interfacing options for communications with both hardware and systems.

J. Enhanced and intuitive reporting and analytics.

2. General Instructions and Response Requirements

In addition to speaking to the high-level vision items, respondents who are interested in providing feedback to this RFI are encouraged to provide information on, and specific responses to, each of the following inquires.

Respondents may choose to respond to one or more questions in their responses. Respondents are not required to respond to all the questions.

In its response to the questions, a respondent should include any information that provides background in current trends and developments in technologies, methodologies, and tools. For respondents providing information on theoretical approaches that have not been applied to large-scale implementations for state government, provide information on your experience on the proposed and how it applies to this project’s goals.

Obtaining information on emerging theoretical and conceptual solutions is an important component of this RFI.

2.1 Questions

2.1.1 Product

A. Provide a high-level summary of base product capabilities and available modules for your solution (i.e., the business functions and processes that are supported).

B. Provide an overview of the innovations and efficiencies gained through your solution’s workflow and user interface design.

C. Describe your approach to user community engagement to identify and implement system enhancements?

D. Describe innovative use of clinical transcription, such as speech-to-text, within your solution.

E. Describe your client portal offering and how it interfaces with the base product.

F. What options does your solution provide for ambulatory providers in a public health setting?

G. Provide a high-level list of features for support for unique service delivery modalities and needs that are specific to public health (e.g. public health disaster response, recorded video-directly-observed therapy).

H. Provide a high-level overview of your systems features that support integrated billing, claims processing and reconciliation.

2.1.2 Technical

A. What are your current capabilities and expected future product plans for promoting interoperability including supporting Application Programming Interface (API), securely exchanging client health data, advancing population health, and reducing information blocking?

B. What features and frameworks does your solution offer for single sign-on functionality?

2.1.3 Cost Structure

RESPONSES SHOULD NOT INCLUDE THE PRICING ITSELF, but rather the drivers or components or basis of pricing. Do Not Include any dollar figures.

A. Provide a summary of the model or structure for licensing and pricing (both implementation and recurring).

B. What are the primary cost drivers you have seen with similar implementations the state should anticipate?

C. If your solution is licensed based on user counts, how is that determined? Are there types of users that are licensed differently (clinical, versus practice administration, etc.)? Is your licensing model based on total users or concurrent users?

As noted in the Introduction, HHSC will not accept or respond to telephone calls, emails, or questions regarding this RFI. HHSC may choose to contact vendors directly after reviewing the information provided in response to the RFI for clarification only. Any contact or communication from HHSC requesting clarification on a submitted response does not indicate a preference towards a vendor or offer them any type of advanced standing on any project related to or not related to this RFI.

2.2 General Information

HHSC will not be liable for any costs incurred by respondents in the preparation and submission of information in response to this RFI.

All materials received by HHSC become the property of HHSC and will not be returned to the sender. There will be no acknowledgment by HHSC of receipt of the information. Acceptance of responses to this RFI places no obligations of any kind upon HHSC. Any information or ideas received from respondents to the RFI in any form may be used by HHSC without restriction for any purpose determined by HHSC.

It is not the intent of HHSC to provide answers, but if additional information is issued relating to the RFI, it will be made available on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD).

2.3 Response Submission, Date, Time, and Location

HHSC welcomes written responses and comments related to this RFI by:

July 30, 2025 at 10:30 am Central Time

Responses must be submitted via e-mail to HHSC’s designated point-of-contact, as identified in Section 2.3. Faxed responses or verbal inquiries will http://www.txsmartbuy.com/sp http://www.txsmartbuy.com/sp not be accepted. It is not the intent of HHSC to respond to comments or questions, but if additional information is issued relating to the RFI, it will be made available on the Electronic State Business Daily.

2.4 Designated Point of Contact

HHSC’s official single point of contact for this RFI and the delivery point for all responses and correspondence is:

Ron Hurley, CTCD, CTCM HHS Procurement and Contracting Services Texas Health & Human Services Commission

1100 W 49th Street Austin, TX 78756 Mail Code: 2020

Phone: (512) 406.2598 e-mail: Ron.Hurley@hhs.texas.gov

All communications relating to this RFI must be directed to the HHSC contact person named above. All communications between respondents and other HHSC staff members concerning this RFI are strictly prohibited.

2.5 Response Format

Regarding numbered questions, the response should be organized such that Respondent’s answers are numbered to correspond to the applicable RFI question. For any questions that Respondent does not wish to provide a response, please indicate “N/A” for that question.

All responses must be:

1. Clearly legible;

2. Sequentially page-numbered and include Respondent’s name at the top of each page;

3. Correctly identified with the RFI number and RFI title in either the footer or header of each page;

4. In Verdana font, size twelve (12) for normal text, no less than size ten (10) for tables, graphs, and appendices;

5. Less than twenty (20) pages, this does NOT include attachments and/or reference material;

6. Submitted by Respondent via e-mail;

7. In word or searchable pdf format;

8. Submitted without any portion of the submission containing a copyright or marking of “confidential” or “proprietary”; and

9. Signed by Respondent’s authorized representative.

https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/esbd mailto:Ron.Hurley@hhs.texas.gov

All pages of the response should include the RFI title consistently in either the footer or header of each page. Vendor should submit supporting material, if any, as attachments along with RFI responses. All proposals become the property of HHSC after submission.

2.6 Texas Public Information Act

Copyrighted responses or responses marked “Confidential" or “Proprietary” are not acceptable and will be rejected as non-responsive.

Respondent acknowledges that HHSC is obligated to strictly comply with the Texas Public Information Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 552, in responding to any request for public information pertaining to this RFI, as well as any other disclosure of information required by applicable Texas law.

HHSC will process any request from a member of the public in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Act. Respondents should consult the Texas Attorney General’s website (www.oag.state.tx.us) for information concerning the Act’s procedures and application to proprietary information and potential exceptions to public disclosure that may be available to respondent.

2.7 Disclaimers

Any information received from respondents to the RFI in any form may be used by HHSC without restriction for any purpose determined by HHSC.

By issuing this RFI and receiving responses, HHSC does not commit to issue a future RFO regarding the subject matter of this RFI.

Responding to this RFI is not a condition for eligibility to respond to any future RFO, and responses to this RFI will not have any bearing, positive or negative, on the evaluation and respondent selection in response to any future RFO.

HHSC may, at its sole discretion, withdraw or cancel this RFI at any time.

Respondents are advised that HHSC will not pay for information submitted in response to this RFI, nor will it compensate respondents for any costs incurred in the development and/or furnishing of a response.

HHSC will not accept or respond to telephone calls, emails, or questions regarding this RFI.

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/