1.1    .................... moves to amend H. F. No. 297, the delete everything amendment
1.2(A07-0645), as follows:
1.3Page 158, delete section 14 and insert:

1.4    "Sec. 14. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 144.3345, is amended to read:
1.5144.3345 INTERCONNECTED ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD
1.6GRANTS.
1.7    Subdivision 1. Definitions. The following definitions are used for the purposes
1.8of this section.
1.9    (a) "Eligible community e-health collaborative" means an existing or newly
1.10established collaborative to support the adoption and use of interoperable electronic
1.11health records. A collaborative must consist of at least three two or more eligible health
1.12care entities in at least two of the categories listed in paragraph (b) and have a focus on
1.13interconnecting the members of the collaborative for secure and interoperable exchange of
1.14health care information.
1.15    (b) "Eligible health care entity" means one of the following:
1.16    (1) community clinics, as defined under section 145.9268;
1.17    (2) hospitals eligible for rural hospital capital improvement grants, as defined
1.18in section 144.148;
1.19    (3) physician clinics located in a community with a population of less than 50,000
1.20according to United States Census Bureau statistics and outside the seven-county
1.21metropolitan area;
1.22    (4) nursing facilities licensed under sections 144A.01 to 144A.27;
1.23    (5) community health boards or boards of health as established under chapter 145A;
1.24    (6) nonprofit entities with a purpose to provide health information exchange
1.25coordination governed by a representative, multi-stakeholder board of directors; and
2.1    (7) other providers of health or health care services approved by the commissioner
2.2for which interoperable electronic health record capability would improve quality of
2.3care, patient safety, or community health.
2.4    Subd. 2. Grants authorized. The commissioner of health shall award grants to:
2.5    (a) eligible community e-health collaborative projects to improve the implementation
2.6and use of interoperable electronic health records including but not limited to the
2.7following projects:
2.8    (1) collaborative efforts to host and support fully functional interoperable electronic
2.9health records in multiple care settings;
2.10    (2) electronic medication history and electronic patient registration medical history
2.11information;
2.12    (3) electronic personal health records for persons with chronic diseases and for
2.13prevention services;
2.14    (4) rural and underserved community models for electronic prescribing; and
2.15    (5) enabling modernize local public health information systems to rapidly and
2.16electronically exchange information needed to participate in community e-health
2.17collaboratives or for public health emergency preparedness and response.; and
2.18    (6) implement regional or community-based health information exchange
2.19organizations;
2.20    (b) community clinics, as defined under section 145.9268, to implement and use
2.21interoperable electronic health records, including but not limited to the following projects:
2.22    (1) efforts to plan for and implement fully functional, standards-based interoperable
2.23electronic health records; and
2.24    (2) purchases and implementation of computer hardware, software, and technology
2.25to fully implement interoperable electronic health records;
2.26    (c) regional or community-based health information exchange organizations to
2.27connect and facilitate the exchange of health information between eligible health care
2.28entities, including but not limited to the development, testing, and implementation of:
2.29    (1) data exchange standards, including data, vocabulary, and messaging standards,
2.30for the exchange of health information, provided that such standards are consistent with
2.31state and national standards;
2.32    (2) security standards necessary to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of health
2.33records;
2.34    (3) computer interfaces and mechanisms for standardizing health information
2.35exchanged between eligible health care entities;
2.36    (4) a record locator service for identifying the location of patient health records; or
3.1    (5) interfaces and mechanisms for implementing patient consent requirements; and
3.2    (d) community health boards and boards of health as established under chapter
3.3145A to modernize local public health information systems to be standards-based and
3.4interoperable with other electronic health records and information systems, or for
3.5enhanced public health emergency preparedness and response.
3.6    Grant funds may not be used for construction of health care or other buildings or
3.7facilities.
3.8    Subd. 3. Allocation of grants. (a) To receive a grant under this section, an eligible
3.9community e-health collaborative, community clinic, regional or community-based health
3.10information exchange, or community health boards and boards of health must submit an
3.11application to the commissioner of health by the deadline established by the commissioner.
3.12A grant may be awarded upon the signing of a grant contract. In awarding grants, the
3.13commissioner shall give preference to projects benefiting providers located in rural and
3.14underserved areas of Minnesota which the commissioner has determined have an unmet
3.15need for the development and funding of electronic health records. Applicants may apply
3.16for and the commissioner may award grants for one-year, two-year, or three-year periods.
3.17    (b) An application must be on a form and contain information as specified by the
3.18commissioner but at a minimum must contain:
3.19    (1) a description of the purpose or project for which grant funds will be used;
3.20    (2) a description of the problem or problems the grant funds will be used to address,
3.21including an assessment of the likelihood of the project occurring absent grant funding;
3.22    (3) a description of achievable objectives, a workplan, budget, budget narrative, a
3.23project communications plan, a timeline for implementation and completion of processes
3.24or projects enabled by the grant, and an assessment of privacy and security issues and a
3.25proposed approach to address these issues;
3.26    (4) a description of the health care entities and other groups participating in the
3.27project, including identification of the lead entity responsible for applying for and
3.28receiving grant funds;
3.29    (5) a plan for how patients and consumers will be involved in development of
3.30policies and procedures related to the access to and interchange of information;
3.31    (6) evidence of consensus and commitment among the health care entities and others
3.32who developed the proposal and are responsible for its implementation; and
3.33    (7) a plan for documenting and evaluating results of the grant. ; and
3.34    (8) a plan for use of data exchange standards, including data and vocabulary.
3.35    (c) The commissioner shall review each application to determine whether the
3.36application is complete and whether the applicant and the project are eligible for a
4.1grant. In evaluating applications, the commissioner shall take into consideration factors,
4.2including but not limited to, the following:
4.3    (1) the degree to which the proposal interconnects the various providers of care with
4.4other health care entities in the applicant's geographic community;
4.5    (2) the degree to which the project provides for the interoperability of electronic
4.6health records or related health information technology between the members of the
4.7collaborative, and presence and scope of a description of how the project intends to
4.8interconnect with other providers not part of the project into the future;
4.9    (3) the degree to which the project addresses current unmet needs pertaining
4.10to interoperable electronic health records in a geographic area of Minnesota and the
4.11likelihood that the needs would not be met absent grant funds;
4.12    (4) the applicant's thoroughness and clarity in describing the project, how the project
4.13will improve patient safety, quality of care, and consumer empowerment, and the role of
4.14the various collaborative members;
4.15    (5) the recommendations of the Health Information and Technology Infrastructure
4.16Advisory Committee; and
4.17    (6) other factors that the commissioner deems relevant.
4.18    (d) Grant funds shall be awarded on a three-to-one match basis. Applicants shall
4.19be required to provide $1 in the form of cash or in-kind staff or services for each $3
4.20provided under the grant program.
4.21    (e) Grants shall not exceed $900,000 per grant. The commissioner has discretion
4.22over the size and number of grants awarded.
4.23    Subd. 4. Evaluation and report. The commissioner of health shall evaluate the
4.24overall effectiveness of the grant program. The commissioner shall collect progress
4.25and expenditure reports to evaluate the grant program from the eligible community
4.26collaboratives receiving grants."
4.27Renumber the sections in sequence and correct the internal references
4.28Amend the title accordingly