To: Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County
Department or Agency Name(s): Department of Health Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jenny Symons, 565-4720
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Behavioral Health After-Hours Phone Coverage Services Memorandum of Understanding
End
Recommended Actions:
Recommended action
Authorize the Director of Health Services to execute a memorandum of understanding with the counties of Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo for after-hours phone coverage services for the period July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019 in an amount not to exceed $102,535.
end
Executive Summary:
The County of San Mateo contracts with Optum to provide after-hours phone coverage to the 1-800 numbers that are accessible to residents and Medi-Cal beneficiaries of San Mateo, Marin, Sonoma, and Contra Costa Counties seeking behavioral health services. The agreement covers costs for each of the four participating counties with San Mateo serving as the fiscal representative for the counties. The service and financial arrangements between the counties are defined in a memorandum of understanding between the four counties. This item requests approval of the memorandum of understanding with the counties of Contra Costa, Marin, and San Mateo for after-hours phone coverage services through June 30, 2019.
Discussion:
The County of San Mateo contracts with Optum to provide after-hours phone coverage to the 1-800 numbers that are accessible to residents and Medi-Cal beneficiaries of San Mateo, Marin, Sonoma, and Contra Costa Counties seeking behavioral health services. The agreement covers costs for each of the four participating counties with San Mateo serving as the fiscal representative for the counties. The service and financial arrangements between the counties are defined in a memorandum of understanding between the four counties. These four counties entered into a similar agreement beginning in 2016 and ending in June 2018. The participating counties desire to enter into a new agreement for the continuation of services. The new memorandum of understanding has a term of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019, which aligns with the current contract between the County of San Mateo and Optum for after-hours phone coverage services.
In March 2015 the County of San Mateo issued a request for proposals for a provider of after-hours phone coverage services. Optum submitted a proposal and was selected to provide this service. In 2017, the California Department of Health Care Services and the federal government changed state requirements for response time and the screening process for health systems. San Mateo requested a waiver for a competitive process from their Board of Supervisors for a new one year after-hours phone coverage services agreement to allow time to continue to work with Optum, along with the other three counties receiving services through the Optum agreement, to fully implement and meet these new state requirements. The waiver request and new agreement with Optum were approved by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on January 29, 2019. Approval to retroactively execute the new memorandum of understanding between the participating counties allows reimbursement for services provided to Sonoma County over the full term of the agreement between San Mateo and Optum.
Each county services their 1-800 number from 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday, except holidays. Optum is responsible for answering calls from 5pm-8am, Monday through Friday, and 24 hours a day on weekends and holidays. Optum provides basic information about the behavioral health benefits for Medi-Cal beneficiaries and transmits the caller’s name, contact information, and a brief description of the presenting problems to the individual county call center by the next business day.
Sonoma County Behavioral Health provides a range of behavioral health services in order to promote wellness and recovery. The services provided by Optum, through the memorandum of understanding between Sonoma County and the other three participating counties, contributes to timely access to these services. It is anticipated that 95 percent of calls will be answered within 45 seconds or less.
Each member county will be responsible for their share of actual costs. Sonoma County’s maximum amount is $102,535, which Sonoma County will pay to San Mateo County under the memorandum of understanding. Optum provides monthly reporting to each county (e.g., calls answered, abandonment rate). Optum will bill San Mateo County each month based on actual costs and San Mateo will bill each member county based on actual costs for each county. The agreement with Optum includes a not-to-exceed amount for each county, with a not-to-exceed amount for Sonoma County of $102,536, which is 25 percent of the total contract maximum of $410,138. The estimated percentage of cost for each county is based on the percentage of calls historically received for each county.
Prior Board Actions:
N/A
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 18-19 Adopted |
FY 19-20 Projected |
FY 20-21 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
102,535 |
0 |
0 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
102,535 |
0 |
0 |
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Funding Sources |
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|
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
102,535 |
0 |
0 |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
102,535 |
0 |
0 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Funding for the memorandum of understanding is from Mental Health Services Act.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A - I Step) |
Additions (number) |
Deletions (number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Behavioral Health After-Hours Phone Coverage Services Memorandum of Understanding
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None