HB 1382 requires health insurance companies, HMOs, and programs like TennCare to follow specific rules when using artificial intelligence or algorithms to review treatment requests (utilization management). It mandates that AI tools must base decisions on individual patient medical history and provider recommendations - not group data - and cannot override licensed doctors' evaluations of medical necessity. Insurers must disclose AI use in their policies, regularly review AI performance for accuracy, and ensure tools don’t discriminate or harm patients. This bill directly affects all Tennessee health insurance issuers using AI for treatment reviews, including major programs like TennCare and pharmacy benefits managers.
HB 295 would add doula services to Tennessee's TennCare Medicaid program, allowing certified doulas to provide covered support for pregnant individuals. The bill requires the Tennessee Department of Health to create a verification process for doulas who complete approved training programs covering pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. This includes verifying knowledge of anatomy, emotional support strategies, comfort techniques, and community resources. The policy change would directly affect TennCare beneficiaries seeking doula support and certified doulas aiming to provide covered services. The bill does not change eligibility but expands covered services under TennCare.
HB 875 would reduce the deadline for ambulance service providers to provide patient run records from five to three business days. This applies to written requests from patients or their authorized representatives, as well as to requests from health facilities commission surveyors. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 68-140-319(a)(1)(C) to change the time frame. This is a procedural adjustment affecting administrative timelines for ambulance providers.
SB 555 requires healthcare providers, clinics, facilities, and related entities in Tennessee to notify all health insurance companies they work with "as soon as practicable" if they experience a cyber-attack. This applies to any organization that contracts with insurers for patient care billing. The law mandates immediate notification to help insurers protect patient data and maintain billing systems during security incidents. It amends Tennessee health insurance codes (Titles 33, 56, 63, 68, and 71) to implement this requirement. The bill focuses solely on triggering timely communication about cyber incidents, not on preventing attacks or altering insurance coverage.
SB 676 requires gender clinics receiving state funding to offer both gender transition and detransition procedures, and mandates that insurers covering transition procedures must also cover detransition. It applies to all gender clinics licensed in Tennessee and insurance providers offering such coverage. The bill also mandates clinics to report detailed statistics on gender transition procedures (including patient age, procedure type, and diagnoses) to the Department of Health monthly, with annual public reports starting in 2025. These requirements aim to increase transparency around gender healthcare services while imposing specific obligations on covered providers.
SB 449, the "Fertility Treatment and Contraceptive Protection Act," establishes legal rights for individuals in Tennessee to access fertility treatments and contraception without state prohibition. It defines "fertility treatment" broadly to include procedures like in vitro fertilization, genetic testing of embryos, and medication for fertility, while defining "contraception" to cover methods such as birth control pills, emergency contraceptives, and sterilization. The law explicitly states that Tennessee law does not prohibit these activities, overriding conflicting state laws. This act takes effect on July 1, 2025, directly affecting all residents seeking these health services within the state.
HB 819 removes a regulatory requirement for acute care hospitals in Tennessee. It exempts these hospitals - defined as facilities treating patients with an average stay of 25 days or less - from needing state approval (a "certificate of need") to open or operate new facilities or expand services. The exemption takes effect on July 1, 2028, and applies to all acute care hospitals under Tennessee law. This change directly affects hospital operators by reducing one layer of state oversight for their facility planning.
SB 1389 prohibits healthcare providers participating in Tennessee's TennCare or CoverKids programs from refusing to treat patients solely because they decline vaccines or immunizations. It requires the state to stop reimbursing providers who violate this rule and mandates the TennCare director to create implementing regulations. The law excludes oncology and organ transplant specialists from the prohibition. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, with rules to be established under state administrative procedures.
HB 188 requires physicians and surgeons attending pregnant patients in Tennessee to conduct specific blood tests during pregnancy. It mandates syphilis testing at the first visit, between 28-32 weeks gestation, and at delivery, while clarifying that hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) testing is part of standard prenatal care. All results must be reported to local health departments for communicable disease tracking. This directly affects all healthcare providers delivering prenatal care in the state and ensures consistent testing for two preventable infections during each pregnancy.
HB 516 requires the Tennessee Department of Health to include the legislative librarian as a recipient of annual reports from county or district health departments operating needle and syringe exchange programs. These reports must detail specific data, including the number of people served, needles/syringes dispensed and returned, naloxone kits distributed, and treatment referrals made. The bill amends multiple sections of Tennessee law (Titles 4, 8, 14, 29, 33, 37, 39, 53, 56, 63, 68, and 71) to add this reporting requirement. The change does not alter program operations or funding but expands transparency by directing this data to the legislative librarian.
