Announcement of an Exempt Purchase

nTouch Health provides a mobile robot system, a remote presence device that allows physicians to perform real-time consulting with patients, other physicians, and healthcare providers. Currently, the hospital owns three and would like to expand its current fleet to five with the potential to purchase more if needed. InTouch mobile robot system connects to a medical device, uses the smartphone's display screen or sensor for diagnostic or treatment purposes, or involves an algorithm that performs a patient specific analysis to be used in clinical decision making. The robots are controlled and transfer data via a secure network provided and managed by InTouch.

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for medical supplies or medical services necessary for the delivery of care and treatment at medical, dental, or veterinary teaching facilities utilized by SIU or U of I (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b-5)) InTouch Health medical equipment is used in direct patient care. Without access to these mobile robot systems, the Hospital would not be able to offer proper patient care and would drive patients elsewhere and result in a loss of revenue to the Hospital.