House Bill 957

AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI TELE-EMERGENCY SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; TO PROVIDE THAT THE GRANT PROGRAM SHALL BE USED BY THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROMOTING RURAL TELE-EMERGENCY SERVICES WITH AN EMPHASIS ON TELE-STROKE, TELE-BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, AND TELE-EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (TELE-EMS); TO ALLOW AN ADMINISTRATIVE SET-ASIDE TO COVER COSTS OF ADMINISTRATION; TO PROVIDE THE CRITERIA THAT MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT IN ORDER FOR AN APPLICANT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A GRANT; TO PROVIDE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ABOUT THE PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) As used in this section, the term "tele-emergency services" means an electronic, two-way, audio/visual communication service between a central emergency healthcare center (tele-emergency hub) and a distant hospital emergency department (remote ED) designed to provide real-time emergency care consultation.

(2) There is created the Mississippi Tele-emergency Services Grant Program to be administered by the State Department of Health. The grant program shall be used by the department for the purpose of promoting rural tele-emergency services with an emphasis on tele-stroke, tele-behavioral health, and tele-emergency medical services (Tele-EMS). This will be achieved by enhancing telehealth networks to deliver 24-hour emergency department (ED) consultation services via telehealth to rural providers without emergency care specialists. These services may include assessment of patients upon admission to the ED, interpretation of patient symptoms and clinical tests or data, supervision of providers administering treatment or pharmaceuticals, or coordination of patient transfer from the local ED.

(3) The overarching goals for the Mississippi tele-emergency Services Grant Program are to:

(a) Expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of health care services;

(b) Improve and expand the training of health care providers; and

(c) Expand and improve the quality of health information available to health care providers, and patients and their families, for decision-making.

(4) The department shall prescribe the terms and conditions of grants awarded under the program. Eligible grant recipients shall include rural providers with no or only limited emergency specialists. In order to receive a grant under the program, applicants must submit a grant narrative and budget to the department that satisfies the following criteria:

(a) Reflects the intended use of the grant funds;

(b) Directly identifies the proposed networks that will be used;

(d) Identifies any community partners, employers, and/or virtual reality technology and services that may be used and clearly defines the role they will play; and

(e) Any other information that the office determines is necessary.

(5) The department may use a maximum of five percent (5%) of funds appropriated for the program for the administration of the program.

(6) The grant recipients shall submit an annual report to the department that contains a detailed explanation of how the funds appropriated for the program were awarded, how those grants were used by grant recipients, and how the grants support a range of tele-emergency service programs that will allow for the analysis of a significant volume of patient encounters. The State department of shall submit the report to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chair of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee and the Chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.