SENATE, No. 261

SECTION 1. The  purpose of this act is to provide for grants and zero or low-interest loans to state and local agencies of government, institutions of higher education, health care providers, health care organizations, health plans and insurance entities, health consumer organizations, not-for-profit health information technology corporations and other organizations in health care technology, including but not limited to equipment, access charges, training and applied research.

SECTION 2.   Any such grants, zero or low-interest loans made pursuant to this act, shall be made available through the Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities authority established by chapter 614 of the acts of 1968 or through not-for-profit health information technology corporations.

(1)               monitor or implement patient safety, medical error reduction systems including but not limited to medication error reduction systems;

(2)               facilitate direct consumer enrollment in state sponsored health programs including, but not limited to MassHealth, CHIP and the Pharmacy Program;

(3)               develop programs to electronically receive and process provider claims for Medicaid and other state health programs;

(4)               provide consumer information directly and through health information centers located in public libraries, schools, senior centers and neighborhood health centers relative to prevention and health education;

(5)               provide telemedicine and telehealth services to specific consumers primarily to reduce the reliance on emergency room services or to improve contact with the health system, including, but not limited to homecare participants and assisted living or nursing home residents, and to promote underserved populations;

(6)               provide appropriate access to patient records data, including but not limited to, the development of a credit card sized personal patient medical records;

(7)               provide health education including but not limited to training and education courses as well as information to the public or health professional, and to provide information about careers in health care.

(8)               provide grants to not-for-profit health technology information corporations to be matched with any federal funds designated for the purpose of establishing a health information revolving loan fund for distribution as loans to eligible applicants for healthcare information technology improvements.

SECTION 3. To meet the expenditures necessary in carrying out the provisions of section two, the state treasurer shall, upon request of the governor, issue and sell bonds of the commonwealth to an amount specified by the governor from time to time, not exceeding, in the aggregate, one hundred million dollars.  All bonds issued by the commonwealth, as aforesaid, shall be designated on their face, Health Care Technology Bond Act of 2008, and shall be issued for a maximum term, not exceeding seven years, as the governor may recommend to the general court pursuant to section three of Article LXII of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth provided, that all such bonds shall be payable not later than June thirtieth, two thousand and nineteen.  All interest and payments on account of principal of such obligations shall be payable from the General Fund.  Bonds and interest thereon issued under the authority of this section shall be general obligations of the commonwealth.

 SECTION 4.  The state treasurer may borrow from time to time on the credit of the commonwealth such sums of money as may be necessary for the purposes of meeting payments authorized by section two of this act and may issue and renew from time to time notes of the commonwealth therefore, bearing interest payable at such times and at such rates as shall be fixed by the state treasurer.  Such notes shall be issued and may be renewed one or more times for such terms, not exceeding one year, as the governor may recommend to the general court in accordance with section three of Article LXII of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth, but the final maturities of such notes, whether original or renewal, shall not be later than June thirtieth, two thousand and nine.  Notes and interest thereon issued under the authority of this section shall be general obligations of the commonwealth.  All interest and payments on account of principal of such obligations shall be payable from the General Fund.

 SECTION 5.  Expenditures of funds for the purpose of section two shall be based upon schedules prepared by the executive office of health and human services and submitted to the secretary for administration and finance, the house and senate committees on ways and means, the house and senate committees on science and technology and the joint committee on health care, thirty days prior to the obligation of said funds.  Said office is hereby further authorized and directed to file annually with said committees, commencing not later than September first, of the year two thousand and nine an accounting of expenditures for said projects contained in section two for the prior fiscal ear, including, but not limited to an accounting of the amount expended for hardware, software and personnel, an assessment of whether such project is within budget and on schedule for completion, and an explanation of any deviations in completion timetables and funding needs that ere originally established for such projects.  Said office shall simultaneously file with said committees and said secretary a spending plan identifying projected expenditures on such projects in the current fiscal year, including but not limited to, expenditures by type, and projected milestones and completion schedules.