The Comprehensive TeleHealth Act of 1997 would promote the development and use of advanced telecommunications and diagnostic technology in health care.

Conrad's bill would do four things:
* Make telehealth services eligible for Medicare reimbursement.
* Ask the secretary of Health and Human Services to study state-to-state licensure barriers for health professionals who provide services through telehealth.
* Require annual telehealth reports to Congress from the Federal Joint Working Group on TeleHealth.
* Provide grants and loans to rural hospitals, clinics, universities, libraries and other organizations to develop telehealth networks and foster rural economic development.
—Rebecca Lentz, "Conrad bill to support telemedicine," Bismarck Tribune, March 4, 1997

Under the terms of the contract, Telesat Canada's newly unveiled Multimedia Satellite Technology Development and Trials Program will identify and develop a number of advanced multimedia services and applications, and design leading edge technologies to deliver these new services. Possible new applications may include very high speed two-way access to the Internet, and services such as tele-health, tele-work and tele-education.
—"Satellites to deliver advanced multimedia services to Canadians," Canada NewsWire, December 16, 1997

Tele-Health, a medical information network using the Telidon system, is being developed by a group of computer scientists in Montreal.
—Ben Fiber, "Tele-Health will serve doctors and patients," The Globe and Mail, March 4, 1983