I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1601 
To facilitate the provision of telehealth services, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 20, 2007 
Mr. JEFFERSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To facilitate the provision of telehealth services, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Telehealth and Medi-
cally Underserved and Advancement Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:11 Mar 23, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1601.IH
H1601
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
(1) Studies state that telehealth improves ac-
cess to medical care for geographically or socio-eco-
nomically isolated patients. 
(2) Research has consistently shown that the 
use of telehealth is a major factor in preventing un-
necessary patient travel to secondary or tertiary 
health care centers. 
(3) Literature states that the use of telehealth 
can augment the quality, continuity, and afford-
ability of medical care. 
(4) The practice of telehealth preserves the pa-
tient’s current provider-to-patient relationship while 
facilitating access to specialty care. 
(5) The use of telehealth will ensure educational 
and training support for rural-based providers and 
remove the obstacle of professional isolation. 
(6) Telehealth allows patients to obtain medical 
consultation in their own communities, and the ex-
panded use of telehealth technology will improve the 
quality of chronic disease care, increase wellness ini-
tiatives, and reduce health disparities for patients. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:11 Mar 23, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1601.IH
H1601
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
SEC. 3. INCREASING TYPES OF ORIGINATING TELEHEALTH 
SITES AND FACILITATING THE PROVISION OF 
TELEHEALTH 
SERVICES 
ACROSS 
STATE 
LINES. 
(a) INCREASING TYPES OF ORIGINATING SITES.— 
Section 1834(m)(4)(C)(ii) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(C)(ii)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(VI) A skilled nursing facility 
(as defined in section 1819(a)). 
‘‘(VII) An assisted-living facility 
(as defined by the Secretary). 
‘‘(VIII) A board-and-care home 
(as defined by the Secretary). 
‘‘(IX) A county or community 
health clinic (as defined by the Sec-
retary). 
‘‘(X) A community mental health 
center 
(as 
defined 
in 
section 
1861(ff)(3)(B)). 
‘‘(XI) A facility operated by the 
Indian Health Service or by an Indian 
tribe, tribal organization, or an urban 
Indian organization (as such terms 
are defined in section 4 of the Indian 
Health Care Improvement Act (25 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:11 Mar 23, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1601.IH
H1601
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
U.S.C. 1603)) directly, or under con-
tract or other arrangement. 
‘‘(XII) A site in a State in which 
the respective State medical board has 
adopted a formal policy regarding li-
censing or certification requirements 
for providers at distant sites who do 
not have a license to practice medicine 
at the originating site.’’. 
(b) EXPANDING
ELIGIBILITY
FOR
REIMBURSE-
MENT.—Section 1834(m)(4)(C)(i)(I) of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(C)(i)(I)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘rural’’. 
SEC. 
4. 
STRENGTHENING 
TELEHEALTH 
SERVICES 
IN 
RURAL AND UNDERSERVED URBAN AMERICA. 
Subpart I of part D of title III of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 330L— 
(A) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub-
section (c); and 
(B) by inserting after subsection (a) the 
following: 
‘‘(b) CONFERENCE.—Within 2 years of the date of 
enactment of the Telehealth Medically Underserved and 
Advancement Act of 2007, the Secretary shall convene a 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:11 Mar 23, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1601.IH
H1601
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
conference of State licensing boards, local telehealth 
projects, health care practitioners, and patient advocates 
to promote interstate licensure for telehealth projects.’’; 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 330L the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 330M. INTEGRATIVE ELDERCARE TELEHEALTH DEM-
ONSTRATION PROJECT. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are to 
encourage the creation of programs to— 
‘‘(1) evaluate the use of telehealth services in 
an integrative eldercare setting; 
‘‘(2) eliminate fragmented service delivery while 
promoting enhanced continuity of care, elimination 
of health disparities, and more simplified access to 
services; 
‘‘(3) develop community-based options that pro-
mote patient independence and leverage telehealth 
services and equipment to enable the use of the most 
cost-effective, least restrictive care settings; and 
‘‘(4) promote access for elderly patients in rural 
and underserved urban areas to improvements in 
medical technology and training across an integrated 
spectrum of care; and 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:11 Mar 23, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1601.IH
H1601
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS
‘‘(5) make health care services more flexible 
and responsive to the diverse and changing needs of 
elderly patients in rural areas. 
‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director may award 
grants to eligible providers for projects to dem-
onstrate how telehealth technologies can be used 
through telehealth networks in rural areas, frontier 
communities, and medically underserved areas, and 
for medically underserved populations, to— 
‘‘(A) expand access to, coordinate, and im-
prove the quality of health care services; 
‘‘(B) improve and expand the training of 
health care providers; 
‘‘(C) expand and improve the quality of 
health information available to health care pro-
viders, and patients and their families, for deci-
sion making; and 
‘‘(D) expand and improve efforts to elimi-
nate health care disparities. 
‘‘(2) GRANT
PERIOD.—The Director shall 
award grants under this subsection for a period of 
up to 5 years. 
‘‘(3) NUMBER OF GRANTS.—Not to exceed 50 
grants shall be awarded under this subsection, of 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
06:11 Mar 23, 2007
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1601.IH
H1601
bajohnson on PROD1PC77 with BILLS