County staff preview renewals for risk software, employee benefits and jail health services

County staff presented three contract renewals — risk management software, employee benefit administration with Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the jail’s on-site health services contract with NAFcare — and told commissioners each will be placed on the next agenda for formal action.

Melissa Peek, presenting on behalf of risk management, asked the commission to consider renewing the department’s Origami risk-management software subscription. Peek said the vendor had proposed a rate increase; she negotiated the increase down and expects an annual cost increase in the range of roughly $2,200 per year, with revised paperwork to follow. Peek told commissioners the system was initially paid for with CARES Act funds to enable remote work and that the department has converted decades of claims and records into the system; migrating to a new vendor would be labor-intensive.

The commission also heard that Blue Cross Blue Shield had proposed an increase to its administration fee for the county’s self-insured medical plan. Melissa Peek said the county is self-insured for claims and that Blue Cross’s requested administrative increase would be borne by the county, not individual employees. No final dollar amounts were approved; staff said the item will be on the next agenda for consideration.

Finally, staff discussed renewing the professional-services agreement with NAFcare for on-site inmate health care. Peek described the contract’s staffing model and said the provider has generally met contract obligations; the current average daily population (ADP) in the jail was described as 699 the morning prior and as high as 715 in the prior week. Peek said the contractor could charge a per-diem for ADP over 600 under contract terms but the county had not been billed for a per-diem and that the vendor had not historically billed for additional per-diem charges.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about each contract. One commissioner called software agreements an “enormous expense” and asked whether other departments or the city shared the software; Peek said not currently but that some features could be shared in future. On NAFcare, a commissioner noted contract size and asked whether staffing gaps had led to service shortfalls; staff said openings had been brief, that overtime or other staff adjustments covered shifts, and that one vacancy had opened within the last 30 days. Peek said the county’s line item for inmate medical services was running under budget by about $700,000 this year because of savings in medication and outside provider services.

All three renewal items were set for the next meeting’s agenda for formal consideration.