Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Insurance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House Insurance Committee approves bill repealing 72‑hour hold on some lab results, aligns API deadlines with CMS
Summary
The House Insurance Committee on April 8 approved House Bill 0869, which repeals a state 72‑hour hold on certain laboratory results and delays the state API deadline to match Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) timelines; the committee voted 14‑0 to advance the bill to calendar and rules.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The House Insurance Committee voted 14‑0 on April 8 to advance House Bill 0869, a measure that would repeal a state requirement that certain laboratory results be held for 72 hours and coordinate the state’s deadline for insurers to deploy patient‑access application programming interfaces with federal CMS implementation dates.
The bill’s sponsor told the committee the measure is intended to fix “unintended consequences” from legislation passed last year. “This bill fixes the this issue by repealing the 72 hour hold on certain lab tests, and we make sure that Tennesseeans receive their lab results in a timely manner without unintended government delays,” the sponsor said.
Why it matters: Committee members were told the prior law, enacted last year, had the effect of delaying patient lab results and created compliance burdens for diagnostic companies. The sponsor said Tennessee was the only state that required a 72‑hour hold on certain lab tests, which created a bottleneck as diagnostic companies and insurers tried to comply.
Key provisions and background: According to testimony at the hearing, the earlier law also required insurers to develop and maintain APIs to give patients and providers access to health information. The sponsor said the original deadline — a July 1 date last year — proved infeasible for insurers and vendors. HB 0869 would align the state requirement for API implementation with CMS dates of implementation; committee discussion indicated the statutory alignment allows insurers through 2027 consistent with current CMS guidance.
A committee member asked whether the sponsor intended that the APIs be brought online by 2027 even if CMS later extends its timetable; the sponsor replied, “It is.”
Procedure and vote: The bill was previously considered by the House Health Committee and was being double‑referred to insurance for review. After brief questions, the committee recorded a roll call of 14 ayes and 0 nays. Mr. Clark opened the vote; the chair announced the tally. The committee then moved the bill to calendar and rules.
What the committee did not specify: The hearing record does not include revised statutory text, specific technical standards for the APIs, enforcement mechanisms, or any fiscal notes or implementation funding. Testimony did not enumerate affected laboratory types or provide a list of insurers by name.
Next steps: With committee approval, the bill will proceed to calendar and rules for further action before the full House can consider it.
