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SB0890 • 2026

Health Care

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8; Title 47; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to health records.

Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
Reeves, Rudder
Last action
2025-05-15
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not mention changing the time limit for patients to receive copies of their health records, which was included in the candidate explanation.

Health Records Changes

This bill changes Tennessee laws about health records by allowing quicker access to certain test results and requiring insurance companies to create new APIs for healthcare providers.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes a rule that stops doctors from sharing certain medical reports with patients until 72 hours after the tests are done, unless the doctor says it's okay sooner.
  • Requires health insurance companies to set up two new types of computer systems (APIs) for healthcare providers: one for provider access and another for prior authorization.
  • Removes a rule that said insurance companies must follow federal standards when setting up certain APIs. Now they can use their own standards instead.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Patients who want quicker access to medical test results and other health information.
  • Healthcare providers like doctors and hospitals that need to share patient data.
  • Insurance companies that must create new APIs for healthcare providers.

Terms To Know

API
A computer system that allows different software programs to talk to each other, making it easier to share information.
Prior Authorization
When a healthcare provider needs permission from an insurance company before giving certain treatments or procedures.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how quickly the new APIs must be created by insurance companies.
  • It is unclear if there will be any penalties for not following these changes to health records laws.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0869

Plain English: The amendment removes certain sections of existing laws and adds new requirements for health insurance entities to provide specific application programming interfaces (APIs) to improve access to health information.

  • Removes language from Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-2-104(b), that previously excluded subsection (c).
  • Deletes subsection 63-2-104(c) entirely.
  • Adds new requirements for health insurance entities to establish and maintain specific APIs as outlined in federal regulations.
  • Modifies the timing requirement for establishing these APIs based on CMS regulations.
  • The exact impact of removing subsection (c) from Section 63-2-104 is not fully explained in the amendment text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0890

Plain English: This amendment changes Tennessee's health care laws to remove certain restrictions on accessing health records and requires health insurance companies to provide specific types of application programming interfaces (APIs) for easier access to health information.

  • Removes the exception clause from Section 63-2-104(b) of Tennessee Code Annotated, allowing broader access to health records.
  • Deletes subsection (c) of Section 63-2-104, which previously provided specific exceptions for accessing health records.
  • Requires health insurance companies to establish and maintain five types of APIs to improve patient and provider access to health information.
  • Specifies that these APIs must be established by the earliest date required by CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services).
  • The exact impact on current practices is not fully explained in the amendment text.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 447

  3. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 447

  4. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 92, Nays 0, PNV 0

  10. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0258)

  11. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  13. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  15. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  17. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  18. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Insurance Committee for 4/8/2025

  19. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Insurance Committee

  20. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  25. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  26. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  28. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0067)

  29. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/13/2025

  31. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  32. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Health Committee - Insurance Committee

  33. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 7, Nays 0 PNV 0

  34. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  35. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  36. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee to 3/4/2025

  37. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 2/25/2025

  38. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  40. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  41. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  42. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  43. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 13, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 890, AS AMENDED.

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



Removes the provision prohibiting the following reports,
test results, and any other related results
from
be
ing
disclosed by a designated entit
y
to a patient as part of the patient's electronic health record until 72 hours after the results are finalized, unless the healthcare provider directs the release of the results before the end of that period:
(i) p
athology reports or radiology reports that have a reasonable likelihood of showing a finding of new or recurring malignancy;

(ii) tests that could reveal genetic markers;

(iii) a positive HIV test, except that this
law
does not prevent the disclosure of HIV test results, including viral load and CD4 count test results, to a patient living with HIV by secure internet website or other electronic means if the patient has previously been informed about the results of a positive HIV test; or

(iv) presence of antigens indicating a hepatitis infection.



In addition to other
application programming interfaces (API)
required by law to be established and maintained by a health insurance entity
for the benefit of all insureds and contracted providers
, requires a health insurance entity to also establish and maintain for such purpose (i) a
provider access API and (ii) a prior authorization API.



Removes the provision requiring the
p
atient access API, the provider directory API, and the payer-to-payer exchange API required by law to be established and maintained by a health insurance entity to be established in accordance with standards published in a final rule issued by the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services and published in the Federal Register, and to align with federal effective dates, including enforcement delays and suspensions, issued by the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services.



For
the
p
atient access API, the provider directory API, the payer-to-payer exchange API,
the
provider access API
,
and
the
prior authorization API
required to be established and maintained by a health insurance entity, requires such entity to
establish and maintain each API for its insured and providers at the earliest date CMS requires any of its regulated plan or product types to establish and maintain the same API.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 869
By Rudder

SENATE BILL 890
By Reeves

SB0890
000962
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8;
Title 47; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to
health records.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-2-101(a)(1), is amended by
deleting "ten (10) working days" and substituting "ten (10) calendar days".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.