Tennessee House of Representatives bill in Session 114.
Status: enrolled. Latest action: April 23, 2026.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 33; Title 68; Title 71 and Chapter 985 of the Public Acts of 2024, relative to certificates of need.
Present law generally requires that a person obtain a certificate of need to establish a hospital, other than a mental health hospital. Effective July 1, 2028, this bill adds that a certificate of need will not be required to establish an acute care hos pital, which this bill defines to mean a hospital with a primary focus on patients with an average length of stay of 25 days or less. ON MARCH 26, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1, #2, AND #3 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1369, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 adds authorization for the health facilities commission to license acute care hospitals and requires that any person, partnership, association, or corporation, this state, a county or local government unit, and any division, department, board, or agency of a government unit, shall not establish, conduct, operate, or maintain an acute care hospital in Tennesse e without a license. This amendment changes this bill's effective date from upon becoming a law for all purposes to upon becoming a law for rulemaking purposes and July 1, 2030, for all other purposes. AMENDMENT #2 removes the present law requirement for a certificate of need to open a satellite emergency department, in counties where such requirement presently applies. This amendment authorizes the health facilities commission to license satellite emergency departments and prohibits a person from establishing or operating a satellite emergency department unless the satellite emergency department is licensed as an outpatient department of a licensed hospital. AMENDMENT #3 removes the present law requirement for a certificate of need in order to provide cardiac catheterization. This amendment authorizes the health facilities commission to license cardiac catheterizations. This amendment prohibits a person from initiating or providing cardiac catheterization services unless the facility providing such services is licensed as an outpatient department of a licensed hospital; provided, that such prohibition does not apply to a facility providing cardiac catheterization services is in operation as of July 1, 2030. ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 1369 FOR HOUSE BILL 819, ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #9 AND 8, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1369, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #9 incorporates the provisions of Senate Amendments #1, 2, and 3, and changes the effective date for this bill's provisions concerning satellite emergency departments and cardiac catheterization from July 1, 2030, to July 1, 2028. AMENDMENT #8 adds authorization for the health facilities commission to adopt by rule additional licensing standards for acute care hospitals licensed on or after July 1, 2030, which standards must include requirements that an acute care hospital: (1) Participate in the TennCare medical assistance program and provide an amount of care to patients who are TennCare enrollees that is comparable to similarly situated acute care hospitals; and (2) Provide an amount of charity care that is comparable to similarly situated acute care hospitals. For purposes of this amendment, "acute care hospital"" means a hospital with a primary focus on patients with an average length of stay of 25 days or less. In developing licensing standards, this amendment requires the commission to complete a report by January 1, 2031, that includes a compilation of payor mix information by geographical area and type of medical treatment or procedure. The payor mix inform ation must include percentages of patients who are TennCare enrollees, medicare patients, or charity care patients. The report must be developed with participation from and input of various stakeholders. ON APRIL 16, THE SENATE CONCURRED IN HOUSE AMENDMENTS #8 AND #9."
| Date | Event | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-04 | Introduced | Bill introduced |
| 2026-04-23 | Status | enrolled |
| 2026-04-23 | Latest Action | Transmitted to Governor for action. |