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HB1655 • 2026

Health Care

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 6, relative to the practice of medicine.

Healthcare Technology
Active

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

Sponsor
Martin B, Haile
Last action
2026-01-21
Official status
Withdrawn.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill was withdrawn on 2026-01-21, but it still has an active status pending further action or clarification.

Expanding Medical Practice Definitions

This bill updates Tennessee's medical practice regulations by adding new terms to indicate someone is a licensed doctor.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds 'clinical informatics', 'lifestyle medicine', and 'medical virtualist' as terms that can be used with a name to show someone is engaged in the practice of medicine.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Medical professionals who use these new terms to describe their work.
  • Patients and clients who see doctors using these new titles.

Terms To Know

practice of medicine
The activities that licensed medical doctors do as part of their job.
clinical informatics
Using technology and data to improve healthcare.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is not clear how this bill will be enforced or what the consequences are for misuse.
  • The bill does not specify if these new terms can only be used by certain types of medical professionals.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Withdrawn.

  2. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  3. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  4. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  5. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  6. 2026-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 1/21/2026

  7. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  8. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2026-01-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  10. 2026-01-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law defines "practice of medicine" for purposes of regulation of medical professionals in this state. The term specifically includes
attaching
certain
words or abbreviations to a name, either alone or in connection with other words or abbreviations indicating or inducing others to believe that the person is engaged in the practice of medicine or osteopathic medicine
, such as "
Doctor of medicine
", "M.D.", "D.O.", and "allergist", among others.

This bill adds the following additional words to the current list in present law:
"
c
linical informatics"
,
"
l
ifestyle medicine"
,
or

"
m
edical virtualist"
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1496
By Haile

HOUSE BILL 1655
By Martin B
HB1655
010361
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63,
Chapter 6, relative to the practice of medicine.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-6-204(m)(1), is amended by
adding the following as new subdivisions:
(SS) "Clinical informatics";
(TT) "Lifestyle medicine"; or
(UU) "Medical virtualist";
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming law, the public welfare requiring it.