AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47; Title 63 and Title 68, relative to health care.
HB0979 makes two major changes to Tennessee health care law. First, it revises the statutes governing when hospitals and hospital affiliates may employ physicians, expanding and clarifying the circumstances under which hospitals may directly employ licensed physicians while preserving restrictions on employing certain specialty physicians such as radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, and emergency physicians except in specified settings. The bill also adds patient-protection conditions, including limits on interference with medical judgment and referral decisions, disclosure requirements, and placing the burden of proof on the employing entity in disputes.
Second, the bill creates a new licensure framework for anesthesiologist assistants in Tennessee. It defines the profession, sets licensing, temporary licensing, renewal, discipline, and reinstatement requirements, and authorizes the Board of Medical Examiners and the Department of Health to adopt implementing rules. It also establishes that anesthesiologist assistants may practice only under the supervision of an anesthesiologist and only within delegated duties, with unauthorized practice and improper employment subject to misdemeanor penalties.
The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Titles 63 and 68 to update hospital physician-employment rules and to create a new regulated health profession under a new Chapter 21 in Title 63. It affects hospitals, hospital affiliates, children’s hospitals, research hospitals, physicians in certain specialties, anesthesiologists, and the new class of anesthesiologist assistants. The act also requires rulemaking by the Department of Health and the Board of Medical Examiners and takes effect in stages, with the anesthesiologist assistant provisions effective January 1, 2026 and the remaining provisions effective July 1, 2025.
The bill appears to have broad overall support, passing through multiple committees and floor votes with comfortable margins, though not unanimously. The vote history suggests the measure was generally viewed favorably as a health care regulatory update and workforce expansion bill. The conference committee report also passed, indicating final agreement on the bill’s structure and key provisions.
The main points of contention appear to have centered on hospital employment of physicians, especially restrictions involving specialty physicians and the balance between hospital control and physician independence. The bill’s provisions limiting interference with diagnostic, treatment, and referral decisions suggest concern about preserving clinical autonomy and transparency. Another likely area of debate was the creation of a new licensed role for anesthesiologist assistants, including supervision requirements, scope of practice, and penalties for unauthorized practice, which would affect hospitals, anesthesiologists, and workforce regulation.