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HB1205 • 2026

Physicians and Surgeons

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33; Title 39; Title 53; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to healthcare services.

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Active

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

Sponsor
Kumar, Crowe
Last action
2026-04-01
Official status
Rerefer to Senate Calendar Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Physician Self-Treatment and Family Treatment Rules

This bill sets rules for when doctors can treat themselves or their family members with medicine or other healthcare services.

What This Bill Does

  • Doctors cannot give themselves or their immediate family members medicine or treatment unless it's a minor, short-term situation or an emergency.
  • Doctors are not allowed to prescribe controlled substances (like certain painkillers) for themselves or their immediate family except in emergencies.
  • If there is no other doctor within 30 miles who can provide care, doctors may treat their immediate family members as part of their regular practice.
  • Doctors must keep records of any treatment they give themselves or to their immediate family under these rules.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Physicians and podiatrists in Tennessee
  • Immediate family members of physicians and podiatrists

Terms To Know

Scheduled drug
A type of medicine that is controlled by the government because it can be addictive or dangerous if not used correctly.
Immediate family
Includes a doctor's spouse, parents, children, siblings, and other close relatives who might affect their ability to make unbiased medical decisions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a physician violates these rules.
  • It is unclear how the enforcement of this act will be carried out.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1205

Plain English: This amendment allows Tennessee physicians and podiatrists to prescribe medications and provide medical treatments for themselves or their immediate family members in certain situations.

  • Physicians and podiatrists can now prescribe medication and treat themselves or their immediate family members in short-term, minor, or emergency situations.
  • For scheduled drugs (controlled substances), prescriptions are limited to acute, emergency situations only.
  • If no other healthcare provider is available within a 30-mile radius of the physician's practice site, they can provide medical services for their immediate family within their regular scope of practice.
  • The amendment does not specify all possible scenarios or limitations beyond what is explicitly stated in the text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1153

Plain English: The amendment allows Tennessee physicians and podiatrists to prescribe medications for themselves and their immediate family members under certain conditions.

  • Physicians can now prescribe medication or provide treatment for themselves in minor emergencies.
  • If no other doctor is available within a 30-mile radius, doctors can treat their immediate family members as long as it's an emergency situation.
  • Doctors and podiatrists must keep records of any treatments given under these new rules.
  • The amendment does not specify all the details about what constitutes a minor or acute emergency situation.
Amendment 2-0 to SB1153

Plain English: This amendment allows Tennessee physicians and podiatrists to prescribe medications and provide medical treatments for themselves or their immediate family members in certain situations.

  • Physicians and podiatrists can now legally prescribe medication and treat themselves or their immediate family in short-term, minor, or emergency cases.
  • For scheduled drugs (controlled substances), prescriptions are limited to acute emergencies only.
  • If there is no other healthcare provider within a 30-mile radius of the physician's practice site, they may provide medical care for their immediate family members.
  • The amendment does not specify all possible scenarios or ethical guidelines that might apply beyond what is stated in the text.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rerefer to Senate Calendar Committee

  2. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 4/1/2026

  3. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final calendar of Senate Health & Welfare Committee

  4. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/18/2026

  5. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health & Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026

  6. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  7. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health & Welfare Committee to final calendar

  8. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 2/18/2026

  9. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Refer to Senate Health & Welfare Committee

  11. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  13. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  14. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  15. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  16. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 78, Nays 14, PNV 0

  17. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0250)

  18. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on Final Regular Calendar

  19. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/15/2025

  20. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/15/2025

  21. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  22. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  23. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025

  24. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/14/2025

  25. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  26. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Calendar & Rules Committee to 4/10/2025

  27. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  28. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  29. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 4/1/2025

  30. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Health Committee to 4/1/2025

  32. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Health Committee for 3/25/2025

  33. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  38. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  40. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  41. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  42. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill prohibits a physician or podiatrist from prescribing, dispensing, or administering medication for, or otherwise treating, the physician's or
podiatrist's own self or immediate family, except in minor, self-limited, short-term, or urgent, emergency situations. However, a physician may prescribe, dispense, or administer medication for, or otherwise treat, immediate family within the physician's

regular scope of practice if there is no other physician offering healthcare services at a location within 30 miles of the physician's primary practice site.

This bill also prohibits a physician or podiatrist from prescribing, dispensing, or administerin
g a scheduled drug to the physician's or podiatrist's own self or for immediate family.

This bill requires a physician or podiatrist to maintain records of all treatment provided pursuant to this bill.

ON APRIL 15, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1
AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 1205, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, make the following revisions to present law:



Authorizes a physician or podiatrist to prescribe, dispense, or administer medication for, or otherwise treat, the physician's or podiatrist's own self or immediate family in short-term, minor, or acute, emergency situations.



Authorizes a physician or podiatrist to prescribe, dispense, or administer a scheduled drug to the physician's or podiatrist's own self or immediate family only in acute, emergency situations.



Authorizes a physician or podiatrist to prescribe, dispense, or administer medication for, or otherwise treat, immediate family within the physician's or podiatrist's regular scope of practice if there is no other physician or podiatrist offering healthcare services at a location within 30 miles of the physician's or podiatrist's primary practice site.



Provides that, if there is an established provider-patient relationship between a supervising or collaborating physician or podiatrist and a supervisee, which includes a chart for such physician or podiatrist, the supervisee may prescribe, dispense, or administer medication for, or otherwise treat, a supervising or collaborating physician or podiatrist or such physician's or podiatrist's immediate family only in acute or emergency situations.



Authorizes a supervisee to prescribe, dispense, or administer scheduled drugs for a supervising or collaborating physician or podiatrist or the supervising or collaborating physician's or podiatrist's immediate family only in acute, emergency situations.



Requires a physician, podiatrist, or supervisee to maintain records of all treatment provided pursuant to the bill.

ON APRIL 21, 2025, THE SENATE SUBSTITUTED HOUSE BILL 1205 FOR SENATE BILL 1153 AND REFERRED HOUSE BILL 1205 TO THE HEALTH COMMITTEE.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SENATE BILL 1153
By Crowe

HOUSE BILL 1205
By Kumar

HB1205
003038
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33;
Title 39; Title 53; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to
healthcare services.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 6, Part 2, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section:
(1) ''Immediate family'' means a physician's or podiatrist's spouse, parent,
child, sibling, or another individual in relation to whom a physician's or podiatrist's
personal or emotional involvement may render that physician or podiatrist unable
to exercise detached professional judgment in reaching diagnostic or therapeutic
decisions;
(2) ''Physician'' means a physician licensed under this chapter or chapter
9 of this title;
(3) ''Podiatrist'' has the same meaning as defined in § 63-3-101; and
(4) ''Scheduled drug'' means a drug, substance, or immediate precursor
in Schedules I through V of the federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. §
812).
(b) A physician or podiatrist shall maintain records of all treatment provided
pursuant to this section.
(c) A physician or podiatrist shall not prescribe, dispense, or administer
medication for, or otherwise treat, the physician's or podiatrist's own self or immediate
family, except in minor, self-limited, short-term, or urgent, emergency situations.

- 2 - 003038

(d) Notwithstanding subsection (c) or (e), a physician or podiatrist shall not
prescribe, dispense, or administer a scheduled drug to the physician's or podiatrist's own
self or for immediate family.
(e) Notwithstanding subsection (c), a physician may prescribe, dispense, or
administer medication for, or otherwise treat, immediate family within the physician's
regular scope of practice if there is no other physician offering healthcare services at a
location within thirty (30) miles of the physician's primary practice site.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.