HB 171

DEADLINE FOR PAYING ASSESSMENTS Present law requires an ambulance provider to pay an assessment to the bureau of TennCare no more than 30 business days after the day on which the bureau issues the ambulance provider notice of the assessment. This bill increases such time period from 30 to 45 business days. P ROVIDING BUREAU WITH INFORMATION WHERE APPLICABLE This bill authorizes the office of emergency services to provide the bureau of TennCare with additional data, including reports containing protected health information, as needed to ensure the assessment program remains in compliance with state and federal laws. ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT EXTENDED Present law provides that the ground ambulance provider assessment established by current law terminates on June 30, 2025. This bill extends such assessment unti l June 30, 2026. ON MARCH 17, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 747, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions:  Revises the period by which an ambulance provider must pay an assessment to the bureau of TennCare from no more than 45 business days after the day on which the bureau issues the ambulance provider notice of the assessment to, instead, no more than 45 calendar days after such day.  Rewrites the provision that authorizes the office of emergency services to provide the bureau of TennCare with additional data, including reports containing protected health information, as needed to ensure the assessment program remains in compliance with state and federal laws to, instead, (i) require such office to provide the commissioner of health with full access to ambulance run reports maintained by the office and (ii) authorize t he commissioner to provide the bureau with ambulance run report data and additional requested data, including reports containing protected health information, as needed to ensure the assessment program remains in compliance with state and federal laws.