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HB0032 • 2026

Hospitals and Health Care Facilities

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to physician employment.

Healthcare
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Garrett, Bailey
Last action
2025-03-19
Official status
Taken off notice for cal in s/c Health Subcommittee of Health Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on potential impacts or uncertainties regarding current employment practices and future requirements.

Changes to Physician Employment Rules

This bill removes restrictions on hospitals and certain healthcare facilities directly employing radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, and emergency physicians.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes current rules that prohibit hospitals from hiring specific types of doctors directly.
  • Allows hospitals to hire these doctors through direct employment or agreements with third parties.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Hospitals in Tennessee
  • Healthcare facilities affiliated with hospitals
  • Doctors who work as radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, or emergency physicians

Terms To Know

Employment relationship
Includes direct hiring by a hospital and agreements made through third parties.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  2. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Health Subcommittee of Health Committee

  3. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/26/2025

  4. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  5. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  6. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/19/2025

  7. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/12/2025

  8. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  9. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  10. 2025-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Health Committee

  12. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  13. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  14. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  15. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  16. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  17. 2024-12-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  18. 2024-12-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law prohibits certain facilities from employing
anesthesiologists, emergency department physicians, pathologists, and radiologists
, including (i) a
hospital or an affiliate of a hospital
;
(ii) a
federally qualified health center or rural health cli
nic; and (iii) a renal dialysis clinic or an affiliate of a renal dialysis clinic.
However, present law authorizes a
research hospital
to
employ radiologists, anesthesiologists, or pathologists
, as long as
50% or more of the inpatients during the previous
calendar year
were treated
pursuant to research protocols
. In addition, present law authorizes a hospital to employ an
emergency physician to treat patients at a satellite emergency department, primary care clinic
,
or urgent care clinic
, if certain facto
rs are met, including, if the satellite department or clinic is located in a county that has
a population of less than 27,000,
which includes
Benton, Bledsoe, Cannon, Chester, Clay, Crockett, Decatur, DeKalb, Fentress, Grainger, Grundy, Hancock, Hardeman,
Hardin, Haywood, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Johnson, Lake, Lauderdale, Lewis, Macon, McNairy, Meigs, Moore, Morgan, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Polk, Scott, Sequatchie, Smith, Stewart, Trousdale, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren,
and
Wayne
counties. This
bill removes all of these provisions.

This bill, instead, provides that
a particular employment relationship for the employment of a radiologist, anesthesiologist, pathologist, or emergency physician
is not required by a hospital licensed by this state o
r an affiliate of a hospital
. As used in this
bill,

an
"employment relationship" includes employment by direct means and employment through an agreement with a third party.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 9
By Bailey

HOUSE BILL 32
By Garrett

HB0032
000597
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47;
Title 63 and Title 68, relative to physician
employment.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-6-204, is amended by deleting
subdivisions (e)(2)(B), (f)(6), (f)(7)(B), (f)(7)(C), (f)(7)(E), (f)(7)(H), (g)(4)(B)(ii)(b), (g)(6),
(g)(7)(B), (g)(7)(C), (g)(7)(E), (g)(7)(G), and (j)(3), and subsection (l).
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-6-204(d), is amended by deleting
the language "; provided, for the purposes of this subsection (d), "physician" does not include an
anesthesiologist, an emergency department physician, a pathologist or a radiologist".
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-6-204(f)(1), is amended by
deleting the language "other than radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, or emergency
physicians,".
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-6-204(f)(4)(B)(ii), is amended by
deleting the language:
Provided, that with respect to any such domestic nonprofit public benefit corporation,
physician employees of any such faculty practice plan who practice in the specialties of
radiology, pathology, anesthesiology and/or emergency medicine shall be restricted to
practice as faculty practice plan employees in those health care institutions, including but
not limited to hospitals or surgery centers, in which they were practicing as employees of
the nonprofit public benefit corporation on May 30, 1997.

- 2 - 000597

SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-6-204(g)(1), is amended by
deleting the language "other than radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists or emergency
physicians".
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-6-204(h)(5)(A), is amended by
deleting the language "specialties of ophthalmology, pathology, anesthesiology and/or
emergency medicine" and substituting "specialty of ophthalmology".
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-6-204, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection:
( ) This section does not require a particular employment relationship for the
employment of a radiologist, anesthesiologist, pathologist, or emergency physician, as
long as the employment of such physician otherwise complies with this chapter. As
used in this subsection ( ), "employment relationship" includes employment by direct
means and employment through an agreement with a third party.
SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-9-104(f)(3), is amended by
deleting the subdivision.
SECTION 9. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-11-205, is amended by deleting
subdivisions (b)(6), (b)(9), (c)(6), (e)(2), (e)(3), (e)(6), (e)(8), and (e)(9), and subsection (g).
SECTION 10. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-11-205(b)(1), is amended by
deleting the language ", other than radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, or emergency
physicians,".
SECTION 11. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-11-205(c)(1), is amended by
deleting the language ", other than radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists or emergency
physicians".
SECTION 12. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-11-205, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:

- 3 - 000597

( ) This section does not require a particular employment relationship for the
employment of a radiologist, anesthesiologist, pathologist, or emergency physician by a
hospital licensed under this chapter or an affiliate of a hospital, as long as the
employment of such physician otherwise complies with this part. As used in this
subsection ( ), "employment relationship" includes employment by direct means and
employment through an agreement with a third party.
SECTION 13. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.