116th CONGRESS 2d Session |
To reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs.
March 11, 2020
Mrs. Loeffler (for herself and Ms. Smith) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
To reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “Rural Delivery of Online Care Services Reauthorization Act of 2020” or the “R–DOCS Reauthorization Act of 2020”.
SEC. 2. Telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs.
Section 330I of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c–14) is amended—
(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “projects to demonstrate how telehealth technologies can be used through telehealth networks” and inserting “evidence-based projects that utilize telehealth technologies through telehealth networks”;
(I) by striking “the quality of” and inserting “access to, and the quality of,”; and
(II) by inserting “and” after the semicolon;
(iii) by striking subparagraph (B);
(iv) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (B); and
(v) in subparagraph (B), as so redesignated, by striking “and patients and their families, for decisionmaking” and inserting “, patients, and their families”; and
(i) by striking “demonstrate how telehealth technologies can be used” and inserting “support initiatives that utilize telehealth technologies”; and
(ii) by striking “, to establish telehealth resource centers”;
(2) in subsection (e), by striking “4 years” and inserting “5 years”;
(A) by striking paragraph (2);
(i) by redesignating clauses (i) through (iii) as paragraphs (1) through (3), respectively, and adjusting the margins accordingly;
(ii) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated by clause (i), by redesignating subclauses (I) through (XII) as subparagraphs (A) through (L), respectively, and adjusting the margins accordingly; and
(iii) by striking “(1) Telehealth network grants—” and all that follows through “(B) Telehealth networks—”; and
(C) in paragraph (3)(I), as so redesignated, by inserting “and substance use disorder” after “mental health” each place such term appears;
(4) in subsection (g)(2), by striking “or improve” and inserting “and improve”;
(5) by striking subsection (h);
(6) by redesignating subsections (i) through (p) as subsection (h) through (o), respectively;
(7) in subsection (h), as so redesignated—
(i) in subparagraph (B), by striking “mental health, public health, long-term care, home care, preventive” and inserting “mental health care, public health services, long-term care, home care, preventive care”;
(ii) in subparagraph (E), by inserting “and regional” after “local”; and
(iii) by striking subparagraph (F); and
(B) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking “medically underserved areas or” and inserting “rural areas, medically underserved areas, or”;
(8) in paragraph (2) of subsection (i), as so redesignated, by striking “ensure that—” and all that follows through the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting “ensure that not less than 50 percent of the funds awarded shall be awarded for projects in rural areas.”;
(9) in subsection (j), as so redesignated—
(A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking “computer hardware and software, audio and video equipment, computer network equipment, interactive equipment, data terminal equipment, and other”; and
(B) in paragraph (2)(F), by striking “health care providers and”;
(10) in subsection (k), as so redesignated—
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking “40 percent” and inserting “20 percent”; and
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking “(such as laying cable or telephone lines, or purchasing or installing microwave towers, satellite dishes, amplifiers, or digital switching equipment)”;
(11) by striking subsections (q) and (r) and inserting the following:
“(p) Report.—Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the Rural Delivery of Online Care Services Reauthorization Act of 2020, and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report on the activities and outcomes of the grant programs under subsection (b).”;
(12) by redesignating subsection (s) as subsection (q); and
(13) in subsection (q), as so redesignated, by striking “this section—” and all that follows through the end of paragraph (2) and inserting “this section $29,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.”.