Telehealth Improvement Act of 2004 - Amends the Social Security Act to: (1) increase the type of originating sites allowed to offer telehealth services, including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and county or community health clinics; and (2) remove the requirement that such originating sites must be in rural areas.
Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a conference of State licensing boards, local telehealth projects, health care practitioners, and patient advocates to promote interstate licensure for telehealth projects.
Authorizes the Director of the Office of the Advancement of Telehealth to award grants to: (1) demonstrate how telehealth technologies can be used to expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of health care services and to improve and expand the training of health care providers and the quality of health information available; (2) provide telehealth services to patients who reside in areas under the jurisdiction of Indian tribes or tribal organizations; and (3) provide oral health services to patients who reside in rural areas.
Directs the Secretary to establish a Joint Working Group on Telehealth to: (1) identify, monitor, and coordinate Federal telehealth projects, data sets, and programs; (2) analyze how telehealth systems are expanding access to health care services, education, and information; (3) analyze the clinical, educational, or administrative efficacy and cost-effectiveness of telehealth applications; (4) analyze the quality of the telehealth services delivered; and (5) make recommendations for coordinating Federal and State efforts to increase access to health services, education, and information in rural and medically underserved areas.