To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Purchase Order with Polymedco LLC
?Recommendation of the County Administrator ? Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, or designee, to execute on behalf of the Health Services Director, a purchase order with Polymedco LLC, in the amount of $800,000 and a related agreement to purchase reagents and supplies to perform immunochemical fecal occult blood testing (iFOBT) for the Clinical Laboratory at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC), for the period from February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2029.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this action will result in expenditures of up to $800,000 over a three-year period and will be funded by Hospital Enterprise Fund I revenues.
BACKGROUND:
Polymedco LLC's OC-Auto Sensor Diana with FOBT-CHEK is an automated immunochemical fecal occult blood testing (iFOBT) system that detects human hemoglobin with high specificity, without interference from red meat, turnips, melons, aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, or vitamin C. This advancement enhances the ability to accurately identify patients who require colonoscopy, leading to earlier detection of polyps and colorectal cancer. The increased sensitivity and specificity of this test compared to traditional methods are expected to significantly improve the identification of early-stage colon cancer, which remains the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., accounting for approximately 30%. Furthermore, the higher specificity reduces false positives, minimizing unnecessary and costly colonoscopies. Implementing this test as a primary screening tool in place of sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy can lead to substantial cost savings for CCRMC while improving patient outcomes.
Since the department relies heavily on the utilization of the OC-Auto Sensor Diana analyzer, for not only all the hospital ...
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