RFP 2026-007 Telepsychiatry Services

Agency:	The Center for Health Care Service
State:	Texas
Type of Government:	State & Local
Posted Date:	Apr 2, 2026
Due Date:	Apr 21, 2026
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Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

(“RFP”)

(RFP-2026-007)

for

Telepsychiatry Services

Release Date: 03/17/2026

Proposals Due: 04/21/2026 at 12:00 P.M. Central Standard Time

Revised: 04/02/2026

* Proposals not received by deadline will be rejected and returned unopened.

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002 - TABLE OF CONTENTS

002 - TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................................................. 2

003 - BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................................. 3

004 - SCOPE OF SERVICES ................................................................................................................................................. 4

005 - ASSURANCES .............................................................................................................................................................. 7

006 - TERM OF CONTRACT.................................................................................................................................................. 8

007 - PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE ................................................................................................................................ 8

008 - PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 8

009 - SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL ..................................................................................................................................... 9

010 - RESTRICTIONS ON COMMUNICATION ................................................................................................................... 10

011 - EVALUATION OF CRITERIA ...................................................................................................................................... 10

012 - AWARD OF CONTRACT AND RESERVATION OF RIGHTS .................................................................................... 11

013 - SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ............................................................................................................................................ 12

014 - INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS.................................................................................................................................. 12

015 - RFP ATTACHMENTS .................................................................................................................................................. 15

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003 - BACKGROUND

The Bexar County Board of Trustees for Mental Health Mental Retardation Services d/b/a The Center for Health Care

Services (“CENTER”) is a multi-facility community mental health and intellectual disability center created under the

authority of Section 534.001 of the Texas Health and Safety Code by its sponsoring agencies, Bexar County and the

Bexar County Hospital District d/b/a University Health. The CENTER has been providing services to Bexar County

residents experiencing mental health, intellectual developmental disabilities and/or substance use issues for the past sixty

years and is the Texas Health and Human Services’ designated Local Mental Health Authority for Bexar County, Texas.

The CENTER is considered a quasi-governmental entity, a political subdivision of the state of Texas, but is not a Texas

state agency. The CENTER’S administrative offices are located at 6800 Park Ten Blvd. Suite 200-S, San Antonio, Texas

78213.

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004 - SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Center for Health Care Services (“CENTER”) is seeking Proposals from qualified and experienced entities

(“RESPONDENT”) to provide telepsychiatry services as further defined in this Request for Proposals (RFP).

I. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

A. Administrative Requirements:

If awarded a Contract, RESPONDENT shall:

1) Ensure that providers meet all standards for licensure, credentialing, and training according to local, state and

national requirements, as applicable;

2) Provide the CENTER’S Crisis Medical Director, Credentialing Department, and CENTER-designated staff

with the Curriculum Vitae (CV) for any provider it wishes to present to the CENTER for consideration for

service provision. RESPONDENT shall facilitate the onboarding process by obtaining any requested/required

documentation for the credentialing process and electronic medical record (EMR) access;.

3) Ensure, if required, that physician providers submit all necessary information for an Electronic Prescription for

Controlled Substances (EPCS) application to CENTER within one (1) week of Contract execution or within

one (1) week of date of hire for providers brought on board with Contract or after date of Contract execution;

4) Ensure all providers comply with CENTER’S documentation policy that requires all documentation be

submitted immediately after seeing the consumer. Documentation includes Medical Note, Psychoactive

Medication Consents, Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) assessments, when appropriate;

5) Ensure adequate staffing as required by Section II. A single provider will not be expected to facilitate “on

demand” hours following a scheduled period of availability;

6) Ensure that appropriate staff is available to meet consumer needs before, during and after telepsychiatry

encounters, as outlined in Section I.B – Service Requirements, below;

7) Provide clinical oversight of RESPONDENT’S provider services by a medical director or designated physician

responsible for medical leadership;

8) Ensure that all billing, coding, documentation, storage, and retrieval of telepsychiatry health records meet

requirements for security and privacy of personal health information in accordance with the Health Insurance

Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); the Health Information Technology or Economic and Clinical

Health (HITECH) Act, and state requirements for Meaningful Use;

9) Submit all invoices in accordance with CENTER requirements, and in a CENTER-approved format, as

determined at the time of Contract negotiation and execution;

10) Respond to and facilitate resolution of questions and/or complaints from CENTER’S contracted pharmacy,

administrative staff, consumers and consumers’ Legally Authorized Representative(s) (LAR) within twenty-

four (24) hours;

11) Have in place policies and procedures that address all aspects of administrative, clinical and technical

components regarding the provision of telepsychiatry and shall keep the policies and procedures updated on

an annual basis or more often as needed;

12) Ensure providers make every effort to see a consumer prior to any determination;

13) Have in place a systematic quality improvement and performance management process that complies with

any organizational, regulatory, or accrediting requirements for outcomes management;

14) Ensure adequate coverage at any given time, by planning and scheduling ahead of a provider’s absence; and

15) Upon departure of a provider, immediately notify the CENTER designee, in writing, of the provider’s departure

in order to terminate EMR access in a timely manner.

B. Service Requirements:

1) Review the consumer record in preparation for consumer interview, considering any contraindications for the

use of telepsychiatry services;

2) Initiate each assessment within four (4) hours of receiving the request from CENTER;

3) Complete all documentation and any prescriptions or lab orders associated with the episode immediately, but

no later than twenty-three (23) hours after the episode;

4) Review lab results, and assist with duties needed to care for the consumer including, but not limited to, prior

authorizations, consumer assistance paperwork, referrals, and official correspondence;

5) Respond to questions and/or complaints from CENTER’S contracted pharmacy, administrative staff,

consumers or consumers’ legally authorized representative(s) (LARs);

6) Determine the best course of action after interviewing a consumer;

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7) Comply with specific consents to treat and consents for medication administration that apply to the area of

mental health;

8) Ensure all HIPAA and Privacy guidelines are followed;

9) Ensure that the standard of care delivered via telepsychiatry is conducted in the same manner as those in a

traditional in-person setting. Care should be equivalent to any other type of care that can be delivered to the

patient/consumer, considering the specific context, location, and timing, and relative availability of in-person

care. This includes keeping of proper medical records, performing observations and evaluations, and

treatment. When treatment involves prescription medication, ensure all applicable federal and state laws and

rules are followed;

10) If providing a behavioral health service that has a procedure code that is billable to Medicaid, providers must

follow the appropriate Telemedicine and Telehealth Services requirements in the Texas Medicaid Provider

Procedures Manual and the Behavioral Health and Case Management Handbook, incorporated by reference

and posted at https://www.tmhp.com/resources.provider-manuals/tmppm, to provide behavioral health

services using synchronous audiovisual technology or synchronous audio-only technology. If a behavioral

health service does not have a procedure code that is billable, to Medicaid, providers must follow Contract

requirements, Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) rules, and guidance concerning delivery of

services using synchronous audio-only technology;

11) Maintain professional discipline and clinical practice guidelines in the delivery of care in the telepsychiatry

setting, recognizing that certain modifications may need to be made to accommodate specific circumstances;

12) Conduct diagnostic assessments, examples include, but are not limited to: crisis assessments, orders of

protective custody, release from a peace officer warrant, and doctor-to-doctor transfer;

13) Provide medication management in compliance with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) practice parameters;

14) Provide telemedicine consultation in psychiatric emergencies in accordance with established CENTER

protocols and procedures;

15) Maintain a consistent and effective communications infrastructure to provide services as outlined in the scope

of services;

16) Maintain a physical location and room set up to include considerations of privacy;

17) Conduct all assessments through CENTER’S preferred telehealth platform ;

18) Provide medical documentation within CENTER’S electronic medical record (EMR) system, immediately

following the episode, but no later than twenty-three (23) hours after the episode;

19) Understand that CENTER will withhold payment until all documentation is complete and submitted to

CENTER’S EMR system; and

20) Acknowledge that hand-written or typed documentation outside of CENTER’S EMR is only accepted in the

event of a utility failure and/or system-wide EMR outage. Written documentation will only be accepted on

approved CENTER templates provided by Community and Crisis Response Services Administration and

should be submitted with monthly invoices.

C. Technical Specifications:

RESPONDENT will:

1) Provide all equipment (computers, speakers, microphone, etc.) in accordance with their own IT equipment

policies. The CENTER will not provide these items to contracted providers, but will furnish equipment to its

own service units;

2) Ensure all providers have reliable and steady internet connections, with a minimum of 10 Mbps of dedicated

bandwidth;

3) Ensure all providers have access to CENTER’S preferred telehealth platform, (NetSmart myAvatar);

4) Ensure all providers have access to CENTER’S EMR (myAvatar) prior to service provision;

5) Ensure all providers are able to write a medical note and enter orders into myAvatar prior to scheduling the

provider to see CENTER consumers;

6) Contact CENTER’S IT Department for assistance in accessing CENTER’S EMR and/or resolving issues

preventing timely documentation entry;

7) If presenting more than fifteen (15) providers to the CENTER for service provision under the Contract at one

time, be responsible for paying a dollar amount per licensing fee per additional provider in the CENTER’S

EMR. Fee will be assessed to RESPONDENT at the then-current cost of the EMR license and payment made

to CENTER through an offset from a future invoice.

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This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

RFP 2026-007 Telepsychiatry Services

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