Bill Text: TX HB2004 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: Relating to a pilot project to provide emergency telemedicine medical services in rural areas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2015-05-12 - Referred to Health & Human Services [HB2004 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB2004-Engrossed.html
84R18585 LED-F | ||
By: Darby, Zerwas, Guillen | H.B. No. 2004 |
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relating to a pilot project to provide emergency telemedicine | ||
medical services in rural areas. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 771, Health and Safety Code, is amended | ||
by adding Subchapter F to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER F. NEXT GENERATION 9-1-1 TELEMEDICINE MEDICAL SERVICES | ||
PILOT PROJECT | ||
Sec. 771.151. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Center" means the area health education center at | ||
the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center that meets the | ||
requirements of 42 U.S.C. Section 294a and has received federal | ||
funding as an area health education center. | ||
(2) "Emergency medical services" means services used | ||
to respond to an individual's perceived need for immediate medical | ||
care and to prevent death or aggravation of physiological or | ||
psychological illness or injury. | ||
(3) "Emergency medical services provider" means a | ||
person who uses or maintains emergency medical services vehicles, | ||
medical equipment, and emergency medical services personnel to | ||
provide emergency medical services. | ||
(4) "Emergency prehospital care" means care provided | ||
to the sick or injured before or during transportation to a medical | ||
facility, and includes any necessary stabilization of the sick or | ||
injured in connection with that transportation. | ||
(5) "Regional trauma resource center" means a trauma | ||
facility that the center selects to participate in the project. | ||
(6) "Rural area" means: | ||
(A) a county with a population of 50,000 or less; | ||
or | ||
(B) a large, isolated, and sparsely populated | ||
area of a county with a population of more than 50,000. | ||
(7) "Telemedicine medical service" means a health care | ||
service that is initiated by a physician or provided by a health | ||
professional acting under physician delegation and supervision, | ||
that is provided for purposes of patient assessment by a health | ||
professional, diagnosis or consultation by a physician, or | ||
treatment, or for the transfer of medical data, and that requires | ||
the use of advanced telecommunications technology, other than | ||
telephone or facsimile technology, including: | ||
(A) compressed digital interactive video, audio, | ||
or data transmission; | ||
(B) clinical data transmission using computer | ||
imaging by way of still-image capture and store and forward; and | ||
(C) other technology that facilitates access to | ||
health care services or medical specialty expertise. | ||
(8) "Trauma facility" means a health care facility | ||
that is capable of comprehensive treatment of seriously injured | ||
persons and is a part of an emergency medical services and trauma | ||
care system. | ||
Sec. 771.152. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROJECT. (a) The | ||
commission, with the assistance of the center, shall establish a | ||
pilot project to provide emergency medical services instruction and | ||
emergency prehospital care instruction through a telemedicine | ||
medical service provided by regional trauma resource centers to: | ||
(1) health care providers in rural area trauma | ||
facilities; and | ||
(2) emergency medical services providers in rural | ||
areas. | ||
(b) The commission shall provide technical assistance to | ||
the center in implementing the pilot project. | ||
(c) The center, with the assistance of the commission, | ||
shall: | ||
(1) design criteria and protocols for the telemedicine | ||
medical service and related instruction and provide the oversight | ||
necessary to conduct the pilot project; | ||
(2) define criteria to determine when telemedicine | ||
medical services that provide instructions for emergency medical | ||
services, emergency prehospital care, and trauma care should be | ||
transferred to an emergency medical resource center for | ||
intervention; and | ||
(3) collect the data necessary to evaluate the | ||
project. | ||
(d) The center may make available appropriate resources for | ||
individuals who do not speak English. | ||
Sec. 771.153. STAFF. The center shall provide the | ||
telemedicine medical service and related instruction for the pilot | ||
project through health care providers in regional trauma resource | ||
centers, including physicians, pharmacists, emergency medical | ||
personnel, and other health professionals acting under physician | ||
delegation and supervision. | ||
Sec. 771.154. PARTICIPATION IN PILOT PROJECT. (a) The | ||
center shall determine the trauma facilities and emergency medical | ||
services providers that are interested in participating in the | ||
pilot project. | ||
(b) A trauma facility or emergency medical services | ||
provider participating in the pilot project must agree to | ||
successfully complete any required training and to provide all | ||
reports required by the center for the project. | ||
Sec. 771.155. SELECTION OF PROJECT PARTICIPANTS AND | ||
REGIONAL TRAUMA RESOURCE CENTERS. (a) The center, with the | ||
assistance of the commission, may select trauma facilities and | ||
emergency medical services providers to participate in the pilot | ||
project and select trauma facilities to serve as regional trauma | ||
resource centers. | ||
(b) A trauma facility may not be selected to participate in | ||
the project or to serve as a regional trauma resource center unless | ||
the facility: | ||
(1) has a quality assurance program that measures each | ||
health care provider's compliance with the medical protocol; | ||
(2) uses emergency medical services and emergency | ||
prehospital care protocols approved by a physician medical director | ||
knowledgeable in emergency medical services and emergency | ||
prehospital care; | ||
(3) has experience in providing emergency medical | ||
services and emergency prehospital care that the center determines | ||
is sufficient; and | ||
(4) has resources sufficient to provide the additional | ||
telemedicine medical services and related instruction required for | ||
the pilot project in addition to the health care services already | ||
provided by the facility. | ||
(c) In selecting a trauma facility to serve as a regional | ||
trauma resource center, the center shall consider the facility | ||
personnel's ability to maintain records and produce reports to | ||
measure the effectiveness of the pilot project. The center shall | ||
share information regarding that ability with the commission. | ||
Sec. 771.156. FUNDING OF PILOT PROJECT. (a) Money | ||
collected under Section 771.072(f) may be appropriated to the | ||
commission to fund the pilot project. | ||
(b) The center may seek grants to fund the pilot project. | ||
(c) A political subdivision with a trauma facility that | ||
participates in the pilot project may pay part of the costs of the | ||
pilot project. | ||
(d) If a sufficient number of political subdivisions in a | ||
region that may be served by the pilot project agree to pay the | ||
center an amount that together with other funding received under | ||
this section is sufficient to fund the pilot project for the region, | ||
the center shall: | ||
(1) contract with the political subdivisions for each | ||
to pay an appropriate share of the cost; and | ||
(2) implement the project for the region when the | ||
amounts agreed to in the contracts and any other funding received | ||
under this section are sufficient to fund the project for the | ||
region. | ||
Sec. 771.157. REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. The center, in | ||
cooperation with the commission, shall report its findings to the | ||
governor and the presiding officer of each house of the | ||
legislature, not later than December 31, 2020. | ||
Sec. 771.158. LIABILITY. The operations of the center and a | ||
regional trauma resource center are considered to be the provision | ||
of 9-1-1 services for purposes of Section 771.053. Employees of and | ||
volunteers at the regional trauma resource center have the same | ||
protection from liability as a member of the governing body of a | ||
public agency under Section 771.053. | ||
Sec. 771.159. WORK GROUP. (a) The center may appoint a | ||
project work group to assist the center in developing, | ||
implementing, and evaluating the project and preparing a report on | ||
the center's findings. | ||
(b) A member of the work group is not entitled to | ||
compensation for serving on the project work group and may not be | ||
reimbursed for travel or other expenses incurred while conducting | ||
the business of the project work group. | ||
(c) The project work group is not subject to Chapter 2110, | ||
Government Code. | ||
Sec. 771.160. EXPIRATION. This subchapter expires January | ||
1, 2021. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |