EMERGENCY SYSTEM FOR ADVANCE REGISTRATION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS VOLUNTEERS.

SEC. 107. EMERGENCY SYSTEM FOR ADVANCE REGISTRATION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS VOLUNTEERS. Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by section 106 of this Act, is amended by inserting after section 319H the following section: “SEC. 319I. EMERGENCY SYSTEM FOR ADVANCE REGISTRATION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS VOLUNTEERS. “(a) In General.—The Secretary shall, directly or through an award of a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, establish and maintain a system for the advance registration of health professionals for the purpose of verifying the credentials, licenses, accreditations, and hospital privileges of such professionals when, during public health emergencies, the professionals volunteer to provide health services (referred to in this section as the ‘verification system’). In carrying out the preceding sentence, the Secretary shall provide for an electronic database for the verification system. “(b) Certain Criteria.—The Secretary shall establish provisions regarding the promptness and efficiency of the system in collecting, storing, updating, and disseminating information on the credentials, licenses, accreditations, and hospital privileges of volunteers described in subsection (a). “(c) Other Assistance.—The Secretary may make grants and provide technical assistance to States and other public or nonprofit private entities for activities relating to the verification system developed under subsection (a). “(d) Coordination Among States.—The Secretary may encourage each State to provide legal authority during a public health emergency for health professionals authorized in another State to provide certain health services to provide such health services in the State. “(e) Rule of Construction.—This section may not be construed as authorizing the Secretary to issue requirements regarding the provision by the States of credentials, licenses, accreditations, or hospital privileges. “(f) Authorization of Appropriations.—For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2003 through 2006.”.