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HB0657 • 2026

Health Care

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to health care.

Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
Hicks T, Harshbarger
Last action
2025-04-08
Official status
Effective date(s) 03/28/2025, 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on what happens if a removal request is denied by the board.

Health Care Provider Information Removal Act

This bill allows healthcare providers who have completed a peer assistance or treatment program for substance use disorder to petition relevant boards to remove public information about adverse actions against their license after five years.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows licensed and registered healthcare providers in Tennessee, who have completed a peer assistance or treatment program contract due to an adverse action resulting from a consent order, to petition the relevant board for removal of public information regarding that adverse action and consent order after five years from the completion date of the program.
  • Requires health-related boards to review and decide on such removal requests.
  • Removes specific disciplinary information from public-facing websites if approved by the board, but keeps the order as a public record.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Licensed and registered healthcare providers in Tennessee who have completed peer assistance or treatment programs for substance use disorder.
  • Health-related licensing boards responsible for reviewing removal requests and removing information from public records.

Terms To Know

Peer Assistance Program
A program designed to help healthcare providers with substance use disorders by providing support and treatment, often required as part of a consent order issued by a licensing board.
Adverse Action
Disciplinary action taken against a healthcare provider's license or registration by a relevant health-related board.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the board denies a removal request.
  • It is unclear how long it will take for boards to implement rules and start reviewing requests after the effective date of July 1, 2025.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0657

Plain English: This amendment allows health care providers in Tennessee to request removal of certain adverse actions from a public website after five years if they complete required treatment programs.

  • Health care providers who have had an adverse action taken against their license or registration due to substance use disorder and completed a peer assistance program can petition the relevant board for removal of this information from the public-facing licensure verification website after five years.
  • The relevant licensing board must review and decide on such requests, but if approved, they will remove the information from the public website while keeping it as a public record.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if the request is denied or how often providers can make these requests.
  • It's unclear how this change might affect public trust in health care provider oversight and licensing processes.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0619

Plain English: This amendment allows health care providers in Tennessee to request removal of certain adverse actions from a public website after five years if they complete required treatment programs.

  • Health care providers can ask for information about an adverse action, such as being ordered to complete a substance use disorder program, to be removed from the public-facing licensure verification website after five years if all requirements are met.
  • The relevant board must review and decide on requests made by health care providers to remove this information from the public website.
  • Rules will be created to help implement these changes.
  • It is unclear how often or under what circumstances boards might approve removal requests after five years.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 03/28/2025, 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 100

  3. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 100

  4. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  10. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 28, Nays 0, PNV 1

  11. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0074)

  12. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  13. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  14. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 90, Nays 2, PNV 1

  15. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0014)

  16. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  19. 2025-03-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/10/2025

  20. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/10/2025

  21. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/6/2025

  22. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 1

  23. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  24. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 3/3/2025

  25. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/5/2025

  27. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/5/2025

  28. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Government Operations Committee

  29. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 2/25/2025

  30. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Health Committee

  31. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/26/2025

  32. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 2/19/2025

  33. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  35. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  36. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee- Government Operations for Review

  37. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  38. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  39. 2025-01-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires certain healthcare provider information to be ava
ilable for public dissemination under the Health Care Consumer Right-to-Know Act, including a description of any final board disciplinary actions within the most recent 10 years.

If a licensed and registered provider has had (i) an adverse action taken a
gainst their license or registration by a relevant board, (ii) resulting in a consent order being issued requiring completion of a peer assistance or treatment program contract, and (iii) it was made public under such act, then, upon the completion of suc
h
peer assistance or treatment program contract, this bill provides that a provider has the right to petition the relevant board to remove such information for public dissemination after 10 years from the start of the probation date indicated in the consen
t
order.

If such provider petitions a board as outlined above, this bill requires the relevant board to review and decide on the removal request. If such board approves the request, then that board must remove the information from any place it was made
public.

RULEMAKING

This bill authorizes the division of health related boards to promulgate rules to effectuate this bill.

ON MARCH 10, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 657, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following rev
isions:



Requires the type of peer assistance to be one for substance use disorder or substance use treatment.



Removes information from the public facing licensure verification website regarding the adverse action and the order by the relevant board after five years, instead of 10 years, from the completion date of the peer assistance program or contract.



Clarifies that the order remains a public record.



Defines an adverse action as a disciplinary action taken by a health-related licensing board.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 619
By Harshbarger

HOUSE BILL 657
By Hicks T

HB0657
000718
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4;
Title 63 and Title 68, relative to health care.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-32-105, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:
(g)
(1) A provider, who is licensed or registered in this state and who has
had an adverse action taken against the provider's license or registration by a
relevant board made public pursuant to this section and such action resulted in a
consent order being issued requiring completion of a peer assistance or
treatment program contract, has the right to petition the relevant board following
completion of all requirements in the peer assistance or treatment program
contract to remove information for public dissemination regarding the adverse
action and consent order after ten (10) years from the start of the probation date
indicated in the consent order.
(2) The relevant board shall review and make a determination on a
removal request submitted pursuant to subdivision (g)(1). If the relevant board
approves the request, then that board shall remove the requested information
from any place the information is made public pursuant to this section.
(3) The division of health related boards is authorized to promulgate rules
to effectuate this act. The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the
Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.

- 2 - 000718

SECTION 2. For purposes of promulgating rules, this act takes effect upon becoming
law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act takes effect July 1, 2025, the
public welfare requiring it.