Agenda

Return

D. 3

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	David Twa, County Administrator
Date:	June 9, 2015

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Emergency Department Backfill Duty Pay Side Letter

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 06/09/2015

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

See Addendum

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor

ABSENT:

Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:	Glynis Hughes, (925) 335-1784
cc:	Harjit Nahal, Assistant Auditor-Controller David Goldstein, Chief Medical Officer Lisa Lopez, Assistant HR Director

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: June 9, 2015
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

ADOPT Resolution No. 2015/197 approving the Side Letter between Contra Costa County and the Physician and Dentists Organization of Contra Costa, adding Emergency Department Backfill Duty Pay and Use of Locum Tenens language to the current Memorandum of Understanding (October 1, 2008 – October 31, 2016).

FISCAL IMPACT:

The current cost for Emergency Department Physicians via contacting agencies (Locum Tenens) is $265/hour. The hourly rate that will be paid to staff physicians in the Emergency Department to work beyond their full time obligation to provide backfill hours will be $180/hr. This will result in a net savings of $85/hr. It is reasonable to predict that employees will chose to work backfill at CCRMC rather than doing so at other local emergency departments as is their current practice. If half the Physician Locum Tenens hours in the Emergency Department are converted to backfill coverage by existing staff, savings would be $100,000-$300,000 annually.

BACKGROUND:

On June 10, 2014, the Physicians' and Dentists' Organization of Contra Costa (PDOCC) filed a grievance regarding the use of Locum Tenens in the Emergency Department. As a result of the grievance, the parties agreed to outline the terms whereby a Locum Tenen can be utilized as a contracted provider. Rather than compensating a Locum Tenen to perform services in the Emergency Department, it is more cost effective to offer the extra shifts to County Exempt Medical Staff Physicians (VPW9), who are assigned to the Emergency Department at the rate of $180 per hour in excess of their designated monthly paid hours (not including differentials).

The attached Side Letter, effective June 1, 2015, defines who is eligible to receive Emergency Department Backfill Duty Pay and at what rate. The Side Letter also identifies a process for utilizing the services of Locum Tenen contractors.

The terms of the Side Letter will be incorporated into the successor MOU between the County and PDOCC.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

County will continue to pay Locum Tenens at a much higher rate instead of offering County Doctors the opportunity to work extra shifts at $180 per hour in the Emergency Department.

CLERK'S ADDENDUM

ADOPTED Resolution No. 2015/197 approving the Side Letter between Contra Costa County and the Physician and Dentists Organization of Contra Costa, adding Emergency Department Backfill Duty Pay and Use of Locum Tenens language to the current Memorandum of Understanding, as amended today to have an effective date of March 1, 2015.