84R18585 LED-F
	By: Darby, Zerwas, Guillen	H.B. No. 2004

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	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.