1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to health; establishing a Minnesota 
  1.3             telemedicine network and providing grants; 
  1.4             appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [144.1462] [TELEMEDICINE NETWORK.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITIONS.] For the purposes of this 
  1.9   section, "telemedicine" means the practice of medicine as 
  1.10  defined in section 147.081, subdivision 3, when the physician is 
  1.11  not in the physical presence of the patient. 
  1.12     Subd. 2.  [NETWORK ESTABLISHED; GRANTS.] (a) The 
  1.13  commissioner of health shall make grants, within the limit of 
  1.14  available appropriations, to establish and maintain a Minnesota 
  1.15  telemedicine network.  The network is an open, interoperable 
  1.16  linkage between hospitals.  The goal of the grant program is to 
  1.17  create and maintain a network connecting all Minnesota hospitals 
  1.18  to encourage and foster the delivery of telemedicine services. 
  1.19     (b) The commissioner may make grants to: 
  1.20     (1) hospitals to connect them with the telemedicine 
  1.21  network.  Grants to hospitals that are not in an existing 
  1.22  network shall be for 50 percent of the cost of necessary 
  1.23  premises, equipment, and periodic connectivity costs; and 
  1.24     (2) existing networks for up to 50 percent of periodic 
  1.25  connectivity costs, provided each member of the network enables 
  2.1   a direct, interoperable connection with the Minnesota 
  2.2   telemedicine network. 
  2.3      (c) In making grants, the commissioner shall give 
  2.4   preference to applicants that emphasize using telemedicine to 
  2.5   forge community linkages, including connections between school 
  2.6   nurses and other community-based health care providers and local 
  2.7   hospitals or other educational and community medical resources. 
  2.8      (d) Grantees must use internationally approved standards 
  2.9   adopted by the commissioner in consultation with the office of 
  2.10  technology to operate the network.  The standards must provide 
  2.11  for methods of direct access to each site, including dial-in and 
  2.12  dial-out service. 
  2.13     (e) Grantees must commit to cooperating with other 
  2.14  hospitals on the network for the purpose of enabling access by 
  2.15  patients. 
  2.16     (f) The commissioner may establish an advisory council to 
  2.17  assist the commissioner in awarding grants, establishing the 
  2.18  network, and monitoring network operation. 
  2.19     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.20     $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2002 and $2,500,000 in fiscal 
  2.21  year 2003 are appropriated from the general fund to the 
  2.22  commissioner of health for grants under section 1.