53B-17-106.  Utah Telehealth Advisory Council.

(1)  There is created the Utah Telehealth Advisory Council, which may, at the discretion of the board, and after July 1, 2015, be combined with the Utah Education Advisory Council created in Section 53B-17-107.

Terms Used In Utah Code 53B-17-106

  • Board: means the Utah Education and Telehealth Network Board. See Utah Code 53B-17-101.5
  • Education Advisory Council: means the Utah Education Network Advisory Council created in Section 53B-17-107. See Utah Code 53B-17-101.5
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • Telehealth: means the electronic transfer, exchange, or management of related data for diagnosis, treatment, and consultation, and educational, public health, or other related purposes. See Utah Code 53B-17-101.5
  • Telehealth Advisory Council: means the Utah Telehealth Advisory Council created in Section 53B-17-106. See Utah Code 53B-17-101.5
(2)  The Utah Telehealth Advisory Council members shall be appointed by the board.

(3) 

(a)  The Telehealth Advisory Council shall annually elect a chairperson from its membership. The chair shall set the agendas for the meetings of the advisory council and shall report to the board.

(b)  The Telehealth Advisory Council shall hold meetings at least once every three months. Meetings may be held from time to time on the call of the chair or a majority of the board members.

(4)  A member may not receive compensation or benefits for the member’s service, but, at the executive director’s discretion, may receive per diem and travel expenses in accordance with:

(a)  Section 63A-3-106;

(b)  Section 63A-3-107; and

(c)  rules made by the Division of Finance pursuant to Sections 63A-3-106 and 63A-3-107.

(5)  The board shall provide staff support to the council.

(6)  The council shall:

(a)  advise and make recommendations on telehealth service issues to the board and other state entities;

(b)  advise and make recommendations on telehealth-related patient privacy to the board;

(c)  promote collaborative efforts to establish technical compatibility, uniform policies, and privacy features to meet legal, financial, commercial, and other societal requirements;

(d)  identify, address, and seek to resolve the legal, ethical, regulatory, financial, medical, and technological issues that may serve as barriers to telehealth service;

(e)  explore and encourage the development of telehealth as a means of reducing health care costs and increasing health care quality and access, with emphasis on assisting rural health care providers and special populations with access to or development of electronic medical records; and

(f)  seek public input on telehealth issues.

Enacted by Chapter 63, 2014 General Session