,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #afah ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bb1 #bjai,mr4 ,schatz 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 and ,ms4 ,murkowski7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act to expand the capacity to improve health outcomes and increase access to specialized care4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,expanding ,capacity for ,health ,outcomes ,act of #bjai or the ,,echo #bjai ,act4 #b4 ,expanding capacity for health outcomes ,title ,,iii of the ,public ,health ,service ,act is amended by inserting after section #cii;,i 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bhj;f-#a7 the following3 #cii;,i-#a4 ,expanding capacity for health outcomes 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means an entity providing health care services in rural areas1 frontier areas1 health professional shortage areas1 or medically underserved areas1 or to medically underserved populations or ,native ,americans1 including ,indian tribes or tribal organizations4 7#b7 ,health professional shortage area ,the term health professional shortage area means a health professional shortage area designated under section #ccb4 7#c7 ,indian tribes and tribal organizations ,the terms ,indian tribes and tribal organizations have the meaning given such terms in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act4 7#d7 ,medically underserved population ,the term medically underserved population has the meaning given the term in section #ccj7;b77#c74 7#e7 ,native ,americans ,the term ,native ,americans has the meaning given the term in section #gcf and includes ,indian tribes and tribal organizations4 7#f7 ,technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building model ,the term technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building model means a distance health education model that connects specialists with multiple other health care professionals through simultaneous interactive videoconferencing for the purpose of facilitating case-based learning1 disseminating best practices1 and evaluating outcomes4 7b7 ,program established ,the ,secretary shall1 as appropriate1 award grants to evaluate1 develop1 and1 as appropriate1 expand the use of technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models1 to increase access to health care services1 such as those to address chronic diseases and conditions1 mental health1 substance use disorders1 prenatal and maternal health1 pediatric care1 pain management1 palliative care1 and other specialty care in medically underserved areas and for medically underserved populations4 7c7 ,use of funds ,grants awarded under subsection 7b7 shall1 as appropriate1 be used for-- 7#a7 equipment to support the use and expansion of technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models1 including for hardware and software that enables distance learning1 health care provider support1 and the secure exchange of electronic health information2 7#b7 support for health care providers and other professionals that provide or assist in the provision of services through such models2 7#c7 the development and acquisition of instructional programming1 and the training of health care providers and other professionals that provide or assist in the provision of services through such models2 7#d7 information collection and evaluation activities to study the impact of such models on patient outcomes and health care providers1 and to identify best practices for the expansion and use of such models2 and 7#e7 other activities consistent with achieving the objectives of the grants awarded under this section1 as determined by the ,secretary4 7d7 ,length of grants ,grants awarded under subsection 7b7 shall be for a period of up to #e years4 7e7 ,application ,an eligible entity that seeks to receive a grant under subsection 7b7 shall submit to the ,secretary an application1 at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 ,such application criteria shall include an evaluation of patient outcomes and health care providers resulting from technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models4 7f7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide 7either directly through the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services or by contract7 technical assistance to eligible entities1 including recipients of grants under subsection 7b71 on the development1 use1 and evaluation of technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models in order to expand access to health care services provided by such entities1 including for medically underserved areas and to medically underserved populations4 7g7 ,report by ,secretary ,not later than #d years after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall prepare and submit to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate1 and the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives1 and post on the internet website of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 a report including1 at minimum-- 7#a7 a description of any new and continuing grants awarded to entities under subsection 7b7 and the specific purpose and amounts of such grants2 7#b7 an overview of-- 7,a7 the evaluations conducted under subsections 7b7 or 7f72 and 7,b7 technical assistance provided under subsection 7f72 and 7#c7 a description of any significant findings or developments in patient outcomes and health care providers and best practices for eligible entities expanding1 using1 or evaluating technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section1 #bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbd4 4