Hospital inpatient bed days

The South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH) is seeking local hospitals to provide acute behavioral health crisis services through a fixed-price bid solicitation for hospital inpatient bed days. The procurement targets services for indigent adults and adolescents, requiring hospitals to deliver short-term voluntary and involuntary inpatient treatment across 17 SCDMH Mental Health Centers. Specific services include initial patient stabilization, discharge planning, aftercare referrals, and medically necessary behavioral health treatment, with initial admissions authorized for up to eight days and potential extensions to 30 days with written Center approval. The solicitation establishes a fixed rate of $600 per patient day (excluding discharge day) and covers services from July 15, 2022, through July 14, 2027, with an initial one-year term. Key submission deadlines include July 6, 2022, at 3:00 PM for offer submissions, with preliminary questions due by June 30, 2022, at 12:00 PM, and award notification scheduled for July 8, 2022.

Vendors must be registered with the State of South Carolina and submit proposals through the state procurement system at http://www.procurement.sc.gov. Hospitals are required to maintain specific insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, $600,000 general liability per occurrence, automobile liability, and $1,000,000 professional liability per occurrence. The solicitation includes provisions for minority business participation, with vendors able to claim in-state preferences under South Carolina Code Section 11-35-1524 if they meet statutory requirements. Hospitals must make reasonable efforts to identify alternative payment sources and bill all available third-party payors before invoicing SCDMH, with Medicare and Medicaid providers required to accept those program payments as full compensation. Compliance is mandatory with HIPAA, South Carolina Code Section 44-22-100, and 42 CFR Part 2 for alcohol and drug treatment programs, with contractors designated as Business Associates/Qualified Service Organizations.