Fillable Printable Sample Project Meeting Minutes Template

Sample Project Meeting Minutes Template

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MEETING MINUTES

HICKRC

EMBERSHIP

EETING

DATE: MARCH 5, 2014

IME

: 11:00

–

12:00

OCATION

: C

ONFERENCE

ALL

DIRECT CALL

HAIRS

: L

ORIE

MITH AND

ARTHA

RANA

-B

OSSART

TTENDEES

UCKER

, C

LAUDETTE

UMPHREY

, D

EAN

AILEY

, L

YNN

UBY

, J

ANE

UBOIS

, M

ICHAEL

AYNE

, M

ISSY

OUTOT

, T

ERRENCE

ARTHY

, J

AMES

OUCHARD

BSENT

: Jan Huskins, S

UE DALTON, LEE UMPHREY, CHARLENE O’CLAIR, HEATHER PELLETIER,

ORMA

ESJARDINS

, J

ULIE

HACKLEY,

EYNOLD

AYMOND,

ONZALES,

AURIE

CHARBONNEAU, DAWN GALLAGHER

EETING

BJECTIVES AND

GENDA

ATTENDANCE

RFP AND NETWORK NARRATIVE REVIEW

HCF PROJECT UPDATE

NEXT STEPS

NEXT MEETING DATE

RISKS / MITIGATION STRATEGIES

Overall Meeting Objectives: engage rural and urban Healthcare Provider (HCP) sites and to initiate, plan, manage and

close the HCF Project under the umbrella and leadership of the Health Information Connectivity Knowledge Rural

Consortium.

Meetings are to be held on a regular, bi-weekly basis via conference call. Face-to-face meeting forums will be held

adhoc. If regular a member is unable to attend, encouraged to make plans for a

proxy to attendee in their absence.

OPICS OF

ISCUSSION

Lorie opened the meeting at 11:05 and welcomed everyone. Lorie shared that this meeting’s focus is on the RFP and

Network Narrative Review with a HCF Project Status Update.

Attendance - was taken and everyone welcomed.

RFP with Network Narrative Review – Martha / Lorie

It was explained that the foundation concept of the RFP being reviewed is that the HICKRC Consortium will be

requesting RFPs from Telecommunication Carriers that will provide leased broadband services from current,

broadband providers and that HICKRC did not propose to build/rent/or house HICKRC Network facilities for the

purpose of a HICKRC network system.

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Martha led the HICKRC group through the RFP and Network Narrative, explaining each section. The competitive

bidding process was explained with the weighted criteria and all HICKRC members were

reminded that there must

be a participant from their sites involved in the competitive bidding process. A short-list will be made according to

the criteria spelled out in the RFP and then a review will be scheduled.

At the end of the RFP and Network Narrative review a time, the meeting was opened up for questions and feedback.

Terrence McCarthy asked about when funding for services was expected? Lorie explained that our HCF Project

goal is to meet Funding Year 2014, which begins July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015, but this is dependent if all USAC Forms

are submitted within their respective filing windows, and Funding Commitment Letters are received in timely

fashion. If not, a proration for the first year broadband service requests could occur. Emphasis was noted on the

importance of each HCP providing signed telecommunication carriers’ contract soon after the competitive bidding

process is completed to meet the F462 Filing window, which has a deadline of May 30, 2014. It was also explained

that Funding Commitment Letters (FCL) must be obtained after F462 is filled before Invoice Submissions with F463

may be submitted to USAC for broadband services. The 35% match by the HCP site must be paid to the

telecommunication carrier before submitting F463 and with the expectation that USAC to pay the remaining 65%.

James Bouchard raised the question about sites that were determined ‘ineligible’ by USAC, what would be their

benefit? Lorie encouraged any site(s) that receives this type of USAC Eligibility Determination to stay engaged in the

process, as after the competitive bidding process, if the proposed contracts between the HCP sites and the

telecommunication carrier are deemed advantageous then, they would want to proceed; if not, then they are under

no obligations to sign contracts with vendors where it is not financially advantageous for the HCP to proceed.

Feedback on the RFP was discussed and any and all sites were encouraged to provide feedback to Martha.Vrana-

Boss[email protected] prior to noon on March 12, 2014.

HCF Project Update – Lorie

Lorie provided a brief update of the HCF Project, scheduled, progress and F460 filing process.

USAC Eligibility Form 460 Update

Lorie expanded on that USAC determines Rural or Non-Rural Status. Status may be impacted by:

FQHC scope of work with HRSA, Grandfathered Status from other program involvement, FCC Pilot

Program involvement, and Geocoding tool type: USDA, HRSA, USAC, U.S. Census Bureau, etc. none

of these variables are known by the USAC Filer, therefore the importance of USAC’s eligibility

determination.

ii.

HCP Criteria: Non-profit or public, these criteria must be met to be an eligible participant and

receive 65% reduced funding.

iii.

HCP Criteria: Eligibility Category Type; some category types where changed by USAC due to previous

programs an HCP may have been involved in.

iv.

Eligible, Ineligible Participants and Proration of funds; one site will have prorated funding according

to percentage ration of residential and outpatient percentages.

USAC has 30 Days to Review F460; this could take our consortium into mid-March and if we have to

re-file/re-register any HCP sites due to known, E-Filing system issues may be longer. An exemption

to the USAC Form Filing Windows has been raised as of 3/5/2014 by Lorie with Paige Pierce at USAC.

Next Steps: March 19, RFP / Network Narrative Submission

Closing Comments – Submission of RFP and Network Narrative ASAP

The RFP and Network Narrative will be submitted to USAC for a pre-view to help decrease the length of the

process to get the RFP posted on the www.usac.org website.

If there’s no HICKRC Member’s feedback provided

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by March 12, 2014, then to keep with the USAC filing process, the RFP and Network Narrative will be filed ASAP

with F461 at USAC.

USAC E-Filing known system issues i.e. ineligible sites become un-attached from their LOA and need to be re-

filed as an ‘ineligible site’ with a new LOA, new HCP#, new TPA elongating the F460 filing process.

Next HIT Grant meeting date: March 19, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. conference call.

Meeting Adjourned at 11:58 a.m.

ACTION

STEPS

BY WHOM

Action item: Proxy from HCP site to attend if regular member unable to attend and reminder to plan on having an

HCP Representative available for review of RFPs during the competitive bidding process.

Action item: HICKRC Members to provide feedback to Martha.Vrana-Bossart@maine.gov prior to noon on March

Action item: If there’s no HICKRC Member’s feedback provided by March 12, 2014, then to keep with the USAC

filing process, the RFP and Network Narrative will be filed ASAP with F461 at USAC by a HICKRC Consultant.

ISK

ANAGEMENT

Risk Factors: USAC E-Filing issues with known system issues i.e. ineligible sites become un-attached to LOA and need

to be re-filed as an ‘ineligible site’ with a new LOA, new HCP#, new TPA elongating the F460 filing process.

Mitigation Strategies: Lorie to take screenshots and capture all HCP’s currently attached to LOAs on the E-File

system for proof of documentation purposes. If required ask for ‘filing window exemptions’ due to E-File system

issues.