Amend HB 1398 by inserting the following section,
appropriately numbered, and renumbering the subsequent sections of
the bill accordingly:
      SECTION ____.  Section 531.047, Government Code, as added by
Chapter 1251, Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997,
is amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (h) to
read as follows:
      (a)  In this section:
            (1)  "Health professional" means an advanced nurse
practitioner, an allied health professional, a mental health
professional, a physician, or a physician assistant who is licensed
in this state.
            (2)  "Rural county" means a county that:
                  (A)  has <with> a population of <less than>
50,000 or less; or
                  (B)  contains an area that was not designated as
an urban area by the United States Bureau of the Census according
to the 1990 federal census and does not have within the boundaries
of the county a hospital that:
                        (i)  is licensed under Chapter 241, Health
and Safety Code; and
                        (ii)  has more than 100 beds.
            (3)  "Rural health facility" means a health facility
that is located in a rural county and at least 30 miles from any
accredited medical school or any teaching hospital affiliated with
an accredited medical school and that is:
                  (A)  a licensed, nonprofit hospital; or
                  (B)  a health clinic that is affiliated with:
                        (i)  an accredited medical school; <or>
                        (ii)  a teaching hospital that is
affiliated with an accredited medical school;
                        (iii)  a hospital described by Paragraph
(C); or
                        (iv)  a federally-qualified health center,
as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 1396d(l)(2)(B), as amended; or
                  (C)  a hospital that:
                        (i)  is licensed under Chapter 241, Health
and Safety Code;
                        (ii)  is owned or operated by a
municipality, county, hospital district, or hospital authority; and
                        (iii)  provides inpatient or outpatient
services.
            (4)  "Telemedical consultation" means a medical
consultation for purposes of patient diagnosis or treatment that
requires the use of advanced telecommunications technology,
including:
                  (A)  compressed digital interactive video, audio,
or data transmission;
                  (B)  clinical data transmission via computer
imaging for teleradiology or telepathology; and
                  (C)  other technology that facilitates access in
rural counties to health care services or medical specialty
expertise.
      (h)  The commissioner shall establish an advisory committee
to assist the commission in developing policies for telemedical
consultations under this section.