[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4023 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4023

     To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the use of 
  teleconsultation, teleretinal imaging, telemedicine, and telehealth 
coordination services for the provision of health care to veterans, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2012

   Ms. Hochul (for herself and Mr. Roe of Tennessee) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the use of 
  teleconsultation, teleretinal imaging, telemedicine, and telehealth 
coordination services for the provision of health care to veterans, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Telehealth and 
Telemedicine Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. TELECONSULTATION AND TELEMEDICINE.

    (a) Teleconsultation and Teleretinal Imaging.--
            (1) In general.--Subchapter I of chapter 17 of title 38, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new section:
``Sec. 1709. Teleconsultation and teleretinal imaging
    ``(a) Teleconsultation.--(1) The Secretary shall carry out a 
program to increase the use of teleconsultation, telemedicine, 
telehealth, and home telehealth by the Department.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall, in consultation with appropriate 
professional societies, promulgate technical and clinical care 
standards for the use of teleconsultation services within facilities of 
the Department.
    ``(b) Teleretinal Imaging.--(1) The Secretary shall carry out a 
program to increase the use of teleretinal imaging by the Department in 
each Veterans Integrated Services Network.
    ``(2) In each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2013 and 
ending with fiscal year 2018, the Secretary shall increase the number 
of patients enrolled in each teleretinal imaging program under 
paragraph (1) by not less than five percent from the number of patients 
enrolled in each respective program in the previous fiscal year.
    ``(c) Annual Reports.--Not later than March 1 of each year, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
Senate and House of Representatives a report on the Department's 
implementation of telehealth and telemedicine programs, including the 
program of teleconsultation, telemedicine, telehealth, and home 
telehealth under subsection (a) and the program of teleretinal imaging 
under subsection (b).
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `home telehealth' includes, but is not 
        limited to, the use of telecommunication technology and 
        information technology to support the monitoring, transmission, 
        and interpretation of clinical data derived from patients 
        situated in a home, community, or other non-health-care 
        facility setting.
            ``(2) The term `teleconsultation' includes, but is not 
        limited to, the use by a health care provider of 
        telecommunication technology and information technology to 
        assist another health care provider, at a distant site, in 
        their management, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a 
        patient.
            ``(3) The term `telehealth' includes, but is not limited 
        to, the use of telecommunication technology and information 
        technology to support the provision of health care in 
        situations where the patient and health care provider are 
        separated by geographic distance.
            ``(4) The term `telemedicine' includes, but is not limited 
        to, the use of telecommunication technology and information 
        technology to support the provision of health care in 
        situations where the patient and health care provider are 
        separated by geographic distance and the provider is directly 
        managing the care of the patient.
            ``(5) The term `teleretinal imaging' includes, but is not 
        limited to, the use of telecommunication technology and 
        information technology to support the remote assessment of eye 
        conditions.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended by inserting 
        after the item related to section 1708 the following new item:

``1709. Teleconsultation and teleretinal imaging.''.
    (b) Training in Telemedicine.--
            (1) Medical residents.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall require each Department of Veterans Affairs facility that 
        is involved in the training of medical residents to work with 
        each university concerned to develop an elective rotation in 
        telemedicine for such residents.
            (2) Rural veterans.--The Secretary shall provide health 
        care professionals of the Department with education and 
        training with respect to using telemedicine to provide care to 
        veterans in rural areas.
    (c) Enhancement of VERA.--
            (1) Incentives for provision of teleconsultation, 
        teleretinal imaging, telemedicine, and telehealth services.--
        The Secretary shall modify the Veterans Equitable Resource 
        Allocation system to provide incentives for the use of 
        teleconsultation, teleretinal imaging, telemedicine, and 
        telehealth coordination services.
            (2) Inclusion of telemedicine visits in workload 
        reporting.--The Secretary shall modify the Veterans Equitable 
        Resource Allocation system to require the inclusion of all 
        telemedicine visits in the calculation of facility workload.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``teleconsultation'', 
``telehealth'', ``telemedicine'', and ``teleretinal imaging'' have the 
meanings given such terms in section 1709(d) of title 38, United States 
Code, as added by subsection (a)(1).

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO WAIVE COLLECTION OF COPAYMENTS FOR TELEHEALTH AND 
              TELEMEDICINE VISITS OF VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter III of chapter 17 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1722A the following 
new section:
``Sec. 1722B. Copayments: waiver of collection of copayments for 
              telehealth and telemedicine visits of veterans
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may waive the imposition or 
collection of copayments for teleconsultation, telemedicine, 
teleretinal imaging, telehealth, and home telehealth visits of veterans 
under the laws administered by the Secretary.
    ``(b) Definitions.--The terms `teleconsultation', `telemedicine', 
`teleretinal imaging', `telehealth', and `home telehealth' have the 
meanings given such terms in section 1709(d) of this title.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 17 of such title is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 1722A the following new item:

``1722B. Copayments: waiver of collection of copayments for telehealth 
                            and telemedicine visits of veterans.''.
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