AHS Case Review Committee

1 Revised: May 23, 2023 Department of Buildings and General Services Agency of Human Services Office of Purchasing & Contracting 133 State Street, 5th Floor | Montpelier VT 05633-8000 802-828-2211 phone |802-828-2222 fax http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing SEALED BID REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Case Review Committee ISSUE DATE July 25, 2023 QUESTIONS DUE August 2, 2023 – 4:30 PM (EST) RFI RESPONSES DUE BY August 15, 2023 – 4:30 PM (EST) PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES, AND ADDENDUMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RFI WILL BE POSTED AT: http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php THE STATE WILL MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO CONTACT INTERESTED PARTIES WITH UPDATED INFORMATION. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH BIDDER TO PERIODICALLY CHECK THE ABOVE WEBPAGE FOR ANY AND ALL NOTIFICATIONS, RELEASES AND ADDENDUMS

ASSOCIATED WITH THIS RFI. STATE CONTACT: Kyle Emerson E-MAIL: kyle.emerson@vermont.gov http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php mailto:kyle.emerson@vermont.gov 2 Revised: May 23, 2023 1 PURPOSE This Request for Information (RFI) is issued for the Agency of Digital Services on behalf of the Agency of Human Services, Departments of: Mental Health (DMH), Aging and Independent Living (DAIL), and Children and Families (DCF) to solicit input, gather information and cost estimates preliminary to seeking proposals to allow us to provide our customers with an updated and modernized electronic solution for reviewing and tracking all Children’s Residential Treatment case information and outcomes. Options should consider cases coming from multiple sources, including DMH, DAIL, and DCF while also addressing each department’s unique business rules, data requirements, and operational process needs for supporting the best possible placement of children. DMH, DAIL and DCF intend to evaluate any submissions by respondents and explore how they might meet our needs and understand the cost associated with available solutions. Please note that DMH, DAIL and DCF shall not be held liable for any costs incurred by the vendors in the preparation of their submission, or for any work performed prior to contract issuance. 1.1 Liability THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the State to contract for any materials or service whatsoever. Further, the State is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that the State will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If an RFP is released, it will be posted on the BGS bid opportunities web site: http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information. 1.2 Confidentiality The State retains the right to promote transparency and to place this RFI into the public domain, and to make a copy of the RFI available as a provision of the Vermont access to public records laws. Please do not include any information in your RFI response that is confidential or proprietary, as the State assumes no responsibility for excluding information in response to records requests. Any request for information made by a third party will be examined in light of the exemptions provided in the Vermont access to public records laws. The solicitation of this RFI does not commit DMH, DAIL, DCF, or the State of Vermont to award a contract. This RFI is for information gathering purposes only and no vendor will be selected, pre-qualified, or exempted based upon their RFI participation. 2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Case Review Committee (CRC) was created by the State Interagency Team (SIT) with the purpose of working with local teams to develop appropriate Coordinated Service Plans for children. The CRC is committed to serving children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbances and other disabilities in the least restrictive setting appropriate to their needs. The CRC is comprised of representatives from the Department of Children and Families (including the Financial Services Division)(DCF/FSD), the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the Department of Aging and Independent Living (DAIL), the Agency of Education (AOE), and the Agency of Drug and Alcohol Prevention (ADAP), and a family representative from Vermont Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health (VFFCMH). The CRC was established to review residential referrals, and when less restrictive, community-based alternatives are not appropriate, to identify and approve of the best possible match between a youth and a residential treatment facility. All referrals for intensive residential treatment from DCF/FSD, DMH and DAIL are reviewed by CRC prior to http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php 3 Revised: May 23, 2023 child placement. The Case Review Committee is a critical function in the State of Vermont’s System of Care for children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbances, disabilities, and behavior and/or delinquency problems. The CRC receives and reviews approximately 275 (80% DCF, 20% DMH/DAIL) referrals a year and serves over 15,000 [Vermont families]. The number of cases has dropped from over 300 prior to COVID-19. Children requiring placement are anywhere from 0-18 years of age, with the age range of 13-18 making up 60% of cases. There are an estimated 100 treatment programs for which CRC can recommend the placement of a given child, however, placement into treatment programs continues to be increasingly challenging due to multiple factors. The acuity of the needs of children is higher than ever, the number of children with mental health needs requiring placement is also higher, the number of available placement programs has dropped over 50% in recent years, and the majority of placement programs are outside of the state of Vermont (over 50%). Accurately and effectively managing the data associated to placing children is essential to the success of the treatment they receive and their mental health outcomes. Much of the data required to track, manage, and place children in residential treatment is personal health information and personally identifiable information. [The Organization] requires a solution that offers best in class data integrity and security practices, while meeting all HIPAA regulations. 3 RFI DESCRIPTION The State is seeking information leading to a solution to its business goals and will consider any information, including partial responses, received in response to this RFI. These may or may not be configurable off the shelf products or services. The State is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) with the following key objectives: • Provide prospective respondents with information regarding the business needs. • Solicit respondent information to assist the State in determining whether identified requirements can be met cost-effectively. • Solicit respondent information to assist the State in determining if identified requirements can be met by available software/hardware COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) alternatives. • Demonstrate a Proof of Concept. In the future, the State anticipates issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) that has been informed by the results of this RFI. If the State moves forward in the development of an RFP, the RFP process will be open to all respondents regardless of their decision to participate in this RFI. 4 CURRENT STATE The CRC currently uses Microsoft Excel and other Office tools to track and manage the data associated with managing residential treatment cases and this has been the tool designated for this purpose for over 20 years. The CRC team currently relies on a combination of paper and electronic files for each of their cases and separate spreadsheets for tracking case referrals. The use of disparate spreadsheets creates inherent risk as they are highly prone to errors from manual data entry. Throughout the input process, there can be spelling mistakes, incorrect formatting, missing data, or even misreading of information. Additionally, tracking CRC data in excel spreadsheets makes it difficult to track data trends over time, as well as linking multiple referrals to a given client. 4.1 CRC Business Objectives The CRC meets once a week to review cases that have been referred for treatment placement. Using Microsoft Office products, case data is reviewed, and decisions are made for placement on a case-by-case basis. All decisions are made with the attempt to achieve the business objectives below. • Improve VT Childrens’ clinical, functional, emotional, and psychosocial status. 4 Revised: May 23, 2023 • The achievement of optimal health, access to care and appropriate utilization of resources. • Facilitate quality care along a continuum through effective resource coordination. • Improve outcomes for VT Children by connecting them to services and supports that meet their individual needs. • Provide assistance to local teams as they identify, access and/or develop less restrictive resources. • When less restrictive alternatives are not appropriate, to assure the best possible match between child and residential treatment facility. 4.2 Current Process Flow The process of evaluating cases and ensuring that all the necessary data is presented to CRC is complicated. The process must allow for flexibility of updating case data at any point in time, for taking a case backwards in the process to previous evaluation steps, and account for multiple entities accessing a given cases data. Provide Consultation to Local Community Based Teams – Before a child’s case is reviewed at CRC for residential placement or a high-end wrap-around plan, there must be consensus at a local level about the proposed level of care. Members of the CRC team often participate and support local planning teams to gather case data and create referrals that eventually go to CRC. Case referrals will only be accepted from local interagency planning teams if they have first developed a Coordinated Service Plan (CSP). CSP’s recommending residential placement may also be reviewed by the Local Interagency Team (LIT) prior to referral to CRC. The referral package will include the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) along with a cover letter describing the needs of the child (case summary), and other background documentation. Receive and Review Referrals Packets – In preparation for the weekly CRC meeting, referral packets from the Local Community Teams are reviewed and a case summary for each case is created. The referral package should go through the appropriate CRC member depending on the child’s “lead agency” status. If a child is in custody, Family Services is always the lead in bringing the referral to CRC. If the child is receiving services through the mental health agency, the referral will be presented to CRC by the Department of Mental Health CRC member. DAIL presents referrals to the CRC if the presenting issue is connected to a Developmental Disability. Assessment of Referral Information by Referring Department –The designated CRC representatives review and collaborate on each case during the weekly CRC Meeting. A case review can have one of three outcomes: 1.) The members of CRC agree that the clinical needs of a child warrant an intensive, individual wraparound plan or residential placement. 2.) The case data is insufficient and requires more definition/collaboration with the Local Community team before a decision can be made. 3.) The clinical needs of the child as presented in the case do NOT warrant an intensive, individual wraparound plan or residential placement. a. In this case the CRC team works to Identify Alternative Services that could keep child in the community *In the event funding dollars have not been identified to fund a given placement, the CRC will refer the case to the State Interagency Team (SIT) for review. Determine Risk and Appropriate Placement – In the weekly CRC meeting, the CRC team members review and discuss the submitted case referrals to assess the need of the referred children, ensure all necessary case documentation exists to plan, and identify the program that is the best match for the child. Simultaneously, the CRC team triages program statewide placements. Referral Process – CRC members provide consultation from the creation of the referral packet, through submitting an approved referral to a given residential program, and even after a placement has been made. 5 Revised: May 23, 2023 Placement Process – Once a decision on placement has been made, members of CRC/CRC consultants may be involved in making referrals to the appropriate residential program(s) as well as entering Prior Authorizations in the MMIS for Medicaid. It is at this point that CRC representatives also capture the intake date for a given case. Follow-up/On-going Activities – After CRC has met and made a decision(s) for a case, CRC members continue to document and track case data. Such as: program acceptance/denials, placement dates and placements after discharge per child, reason for discharge, and more. Evaluating – CRC is required by both State and Federal regulations to report on specific data. Additionally, there are numerous data points, and KPIs that the CRC team wants to track over the life of a case, as well as across more than one case and/or all cases. Finally, CRC endeavors to track and evaluate treatment program effectiveness and the long-term outcomes related to treatment for a given child. 4.3 Context Diagram Case Review Committee (CRC) Context Diagram Ve rm on t C hi ld /F am ily an d Lo ca l T ea m CR C Re pr es en ta tiv e CR C Re vi ew Te am High-level start to finish of the actions related to CRC review and making a decision for a given case referral. Identify Need for Treatment Provide Consultation To Local Community Based Teams Receive & Review Referrals Packets Assessment of Referral Information by Referring Department Determine Need, Level of Care and Appropriate Placement Referral Process PlacementProcess Follow-up Evaluation Planning and making referrals to programs Tracking data about a given placement Measuring outcomes and process/program efficiency and efficacy Discharge planning and tracking Consultation for Complex Community Cases This activity is an exception to the main process and happens as needed. It is included to illustrate the additional work effort for CRC staff. Some of the data related to these cases is tracked in the CRC spreadsheet Case planning as needed Provides consultation for multi-departmental cases 5 STATEMENT OF WORK The purpose of this RFI is to identify commercially available products or services that may be capable of meeting both the Department’s and the State’s requirements. Vendors are encouraged to provide alternative approaches consistent with the overall vision of The Case Review Committee and the State. The State’s discovery efforts to date have resulted in a desire to acquire products or services with the following attributes: 5.1 Business Requirements high-level goals: The Case Review Committee envisions that the solution will support the CRC in accomplishing the following business objectives: • Provide a robust, accessible, and easy to use case solution that accommodates the diverse needs of CRC process stakeholders. 6 Revised: May 23, 2023 • Provide a turnkey and cost-effective product or service that addresses the need for managing residential treatment cases and data for the CRC. • Expand, update, and modernize the tools, methods, and processes for collecting, managing, and reporting residential treatment data. • Minimize the need for CRC staff to intervene and enter duplicate data. • Provide robust system and case data analytics/reporting. • Provide industry best practice quality assurance processes to ensure that CRC is maintaining the desired level of quality in the services they provide. • Monitor and manage quality assurance of the system and the CRC data. 5.2 Technical Requirements 5.2.1 State IT Platforms The State has designated several technology platforms as preferred technologies in its technology modernization strategy. Does your product or service employ any of the identified platforms listed below? • Salesforce – customer relations management, workflow automation, case management • OnBase – content / document management • MuleSoft – data integration services • Okta – authentication services • SaaS- Software as a Service or other COTS cloud-based solution 5.2.2 Disaster Recovery • What are your backup and recovery policies and procedures? • Describe any disaster recovery or continuity of business practices and policies that support your product or service. • Does your product or service have standard RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective)? 5.2.3 Security What standards does your product or service conform to with regard to the following classes of information? • Personally Identifiable Information (PII) • Information related to health, HIPAA, 42 CFR Part2 • Information related to minors • Other sensitive, confidential, or non-public information 5.3 Questions 1. Do you have any recent experience with other child placement departments/agencies? Please describe. Which agencies, for example? 2. What case management functions and capabilities does your product or service implement? Any of the following? Any in addition to the following? • Reporting (legislative and regulatory mandates) 7 Revised: May 23, 2023 • Case Planning, Management, and Auditing • Document Scanning • Internal team communications and collaboration • Analytics • Assessment/Determination Capabilities • Quality Assurance • Other 3. What is the lifecycle of a case that your solution supports? How do you define the phases/stages of a case over the course of its lifecycle in your solution. 4. Please describe your product or service’s capabilities in tracking a case after a child has been placed for treatment. 5. Please describe your product or service’s notification and/or messaging options. Template letters? 6. Please describe your product or service’s reminder capabilities. 7. Which pricing model options are available for your product or service? 8. What support for operations and maintenance can you provide? • To CRC staff • Describe the product or service’s reporting capabilities • Describe the product or service’s data management capabilities 9. Please list any relevant certifications and technical standards your company holds. 10. What are some examples of case data your solution tracks, stores and manages? 6 REQUESTED INFORMATION SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT: All communications concerning this RFI are to be addressed in writing to the State Contact listed on the front page of this RFI. Actual or attempted contact with any other individual from the State concerning this RFI is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification. Each submission prepared in response to this RFI must include the elements listed below, in the order indicated. The vendor, when presenting the response, must use the following outline: 1. Cover page with Vendor information 2. Responses to RFI questions 3. Cost estimates 8 Revised: May 23, 2023 6.1 Cover Page The first page of the vendor’s RFI Response must be a cover page displaying at least the following: 1. Response of RFI Title 2. Vendor’s Name 3. Contact Person 4. Telephone Number 5. Address 6. Fax Number 7. Email Address All subsequent pages of the RFI Response must be numbered. 6.2 Responses to RFI questions Please provide your answers to the stated questions related to the project. Additional information that may supplement your answers is welcome and must be attached to the RFI response. 6.3 Cost estimates Please refer to Appendix A, below. 7 RFI RESPONSE SUBMISSION 7.1 Closing Date The closing date for the receipt of RFI Responses is listed on the front page of this RFI. Responses must be delivered to the contact email address listed on the front page of this RFI prior to the closing time. RFI Responses or unsolicited amendments submitted after that time will not be accepted and will be returned to the vendor. Responses should be labeled, “Response to RFI Case Review Committee.” 7.2 Explanation of Events 7.2.1 Issuance of RFI This RFI is being issued by the Office of Purchasing & Contracting, Department of Buildings and General Services Department. Additional copies of the RFI can be obtained from the State Purchasing Division web site http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing or directly from the State Purchasing Agent. 7.2.2 Question and Answer Period Any vendor requiring clarification of any section of this RFI or wishing to comment on any requirement of the RFI must submit specific questions in writing no later than the deadline for questions indicated on the first page of this RFI. Questions may be e-mailed to the point of contact on the front page of this RFI. Questions or comments not raised in writing on or before the last day of the question period are thereafter waived. At the close of the question period, a copy of all questions or comments and the State's responses will be posted on the State’s web site http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Every effort will be made to post this information as soon as possible after the question period ends, contingent on the number and complexity of the questions. http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php 9 Revised: May 23, 2023 7.2.3 Changes to this RFI Any modifications to this RFI will be made in writing by the State through the issuance of an Addendum to this RFI and posted online at http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php . Verbal instructions or written instructions from any other source are not to be considered. 7.2.4 Submission of Responses 7.2.4.1 CLOSING DATE Responses must be received by the State by the due date specified on the front page of this RFI. Late responses will not be considered. The State may, for cause, issue an addendum to change the date and/or time when responses are due. If a change is made, the State will inform all bidders by posting at the webpage indicated on the front page of this RFI. 7.2.4.2 BID DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS E-MAIL RESPONSES. Only emailed responses will be accepted. Responses will be accepted via email submission to SOV.ThePathForward@vermont.gov. Responses must consist of a single email with a single, digitally searchable PDF attachment containing all components of the response. Multiple emails and/or multiple attachments will not be accepted. There is an attachment size limit of 40 MB. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to compress the PDF file containing its response, if necessary, in order to meet this size limitation. FAX RESPONSES: Faxed responses will not be accepted. 7.2.5 Deadline for Written Questions Potential respondents may submit questions regarding this RFI. Questions must be submitted by email, to the contact email address listed on the front page of this RFI and must be received by the date and time listed on the front page of this RFI. 7.2.6 Review and Evaluation of Responses The review and evaluation of responses to the RFI will be performed by the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Children and Families, and their designees. The evaluation process will take place the week following the response due date. During this time, the RFI Manager or other ADS representatives may, at their option, initiate discussion with respondents for the purpose of clarifying aspects of their responses. 7.2.7 Vendor Demonstration of Their Product Vendors of interest may be called on to demonstrate their product or service offering. Vendors will make arrangements with the Department of Children and Families as well as the Department of Mental Health, to make any such presentations. The Case Review Committee shall not be liable for any costs incurred by the vendor in preparation of its demonstration; all costs incurred shall be the vendor’s sole responsibility. All demonstrations are for planning purposes only and do not constitute a legal bid. 7.2.8 Vendor Product Test Trial Certain Vendor products and/or service offering may be selected after review process to be trialed by the Case Review Committee if this is an option allowable by the vendor. The test trial can last up to 90 days. Up to 2 vendors products selected will be involved with the test trial. The Case Review Committee staff will provide feedback to the RFI Manager. The selection of vendor products for a test trial does not commit The Case Review Committee or the State of Vermont to award a contract. This test trial is for information gathering purposes only and no vendor will be selected, pre-qualified, or exempted based upon their RFI http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php mailto:SOV.ThePathForward@vermont.gov 10 Revised: May 23, 2023 or test trial participation. All costs occurred are the vendor’s sole responsibility. All product test trials are for planning purposes only and do not constitute a legal bid. 8 APPENDIX A: COST ESTIMATE WORKSHEET We are asking for a total cost estimate (low and high estimates) comprised of software, hardware, and necessary implementation services. We understand that the cost figures provided are for planning purposes only and will not be binding in any way. 8.1 Cost Estimate Table Item General Requirements Description Cost 1 Design and development cost 2 Implementation costs 3 Licensing costs 4 Training costs 5 Fee Structure (convenience fees and any other fees) 6 On-Going Maintenance / Service Level Requirements 8.2 Additional Materials (Optional) Please provide any other materials, suggestions, cost, and discussion you deem appropriate.