furnished similar items and services by a health 
care provider at the same location of the indi-
vidual or at the home of the individual, respec-
tively. 
(C) Facilitation of communication of more 
accurate clinical information between health 
care providers. 
(D) Closer monitoring of individuals by 
health care providers. 
(E) Overall reduction in expenditures for 
health care items and services. 
(F) Improved access to health care. 
(3) HOME
HEALTH-RELATED
TELEHEALTH 
SERVICES
DEFINED.—For purposes of this sub-
section, the term ‘‘home health-related telehealth 
services’’ means technology-based professional con-
sultations, patient monitoring, patient training serv-
ices, clinical observation, patient assessment, and 
any other health services that utilize telecommuni-
cations technologies. Such term does not include a 
telecommunication that consists solely of a telephone 
audio conversation, facsimile, electronic text mail, or 
consultation between two health care providers. 
(4) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
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of Health and Human Services shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the study conducted under para-
graph (1) and shall include in such report such rec-
ommendations for legislation or administration ac-
tion as the Secretary determines appropriate. 
(c) STUDY AND REPORT ON STORE AND FORWARD 
TECHNOLOGY FOR TELEHEALTH.— 
(1) STUDY.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, acting through the Director of the 
Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, shall con-
duct a study on the use of store and forward tech-
nologies (that provide for the asynchronous trans-
mission of health care information in single or multi-
media formats) in the provision of telehealth serv-
ices. Such study shall include an assessment of the 
feasibility, advisability, and the costs of expanding 
the use of such technologies for use in the diagnosis 
and treatment of certain health conditions, as speci-
fied by the Secretary. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the study conducted under para-
graph (1) and shall include in such report such rec-
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ommendations for legislation or administration ac-
tion as the Secretary determines appropriate. 
SEC. 304. FQHCS INCLUDED IN ELECTRONIC HEALTH 
RECORDS DEMONSTRATION. 
Effective as of the date of the enactment of this Act, 
in developing and implementing a demonstration initiative 
to foster the implementation and adoption of electronic 
health records and health information technology, the 
Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services shall provide for 
the eligibility of Federally qualified health centers (as de-
fined in section 1861(aa)(4) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395x(aa)(4)) to participate in such demonstra-
tion. 
SEC. 305. INTEREST-FREE LOAN PROGRAM FOR HOSPITALS 
TO ADOPT HEALTH INFORMATION TECH-
NOLOGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall establish a loan program that provides loans 
to hospitals to purchase and implement health information 
technology 
products 
certified 
pursuant 
to 
section 
101(c)(3)(B)(ii). 
(b) APPLICATION.—No loan may be provided under 
this section to a hospital except pursuant to an application 
that is submitted and approved in a time, manner, and 
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form specified by the Secretary. A loan under this section 
shall be on such terms and conditions and meet such re-
quirements as the Secretary determines appropriate, in ac-
cordance with the provisions of this section. 
(c) PERMISSIBLE USE OF LOAN FUNDS.—A loan 
provided under this section shall be used only for the pur-
chase and implementation of health information tech-
nology 
products 
certified 
pursuant 
to 
section 
1019c)(3)(B)(ii). 
(d) PREFERENCE.—In making loans under this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall give preference to any applicant 
for such a loan that is a hospital receiving a high amount 
of disproportionate share hospital payments under section 
1886(d)(5)(F) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395ww(d)(5)(F)). 
(e) REPAYMENT OF LOANS.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a schedule for the repayment of loans provided 
under this section. 
(f) NO INTEREST CHARGED.—The Secretary shall 
not charge or collect interest on any loan made under this 
section. 
(g) PENALTIES.—The Secretary shall establish pen-
alties to which a hospital receiving a loan under this sec-
tion would be subject if such hospital is in violation of 
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any of the terms, conditions, or requirements specified by 
the Secretary under subsection (b) or under this section. 
(h) FUNDING.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 
purposes of carrying out this section, there are au-
thorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary for fiscal year 2009 and each succeeding 
fiscal year. 
(2) 
AVAILABILITY.—Amounts 
appropriated 
under paragraph (1) shall remain available until ex-
pended. 
(3) REPAID LOAN AMOUNTS.—Any amount re-
paid by, or recovered from, a hospital under this sec-
tion shall be credited to the appropriation account 
from which the loan amount involved was originally 
paid. Any amount so credited shall be available only 
for the purpose of carrying out the loan program 
under this section. 
Æ 
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