Committee approves statewide provider‑directory bill with amendment adding limited birth and location fields

The Regulated Industries Committee approved legislation directing the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce to establish a statewide, searchable list of licensed healthcare providers to assist health planners and consumers.

The directory would list licensed providers by categories that include specialty/practice type, language proficiency, gender and location. The bill directs collaboration among about 15 licensing boards and allows the Board of Healthcare Workforce to seek federal or other funding to build and maintain the system. The stated purpose is to help planners identify geographic gaps or “health care deserts” and to help consumers find local providers.

At the committee meeting the secretary of state’s office contacted staff and requested two additional data items to make location and age information usable: month and year of birth (to calculate age) and city, county and ZIP code to place the licensee geographically. The sponsor offered a friendly amendment to add those fields. Committee members raised privacy concerns about including month and year of birth because in some counties a single provider of a particular specialty could be personally identifiable. Supporters, including the board’s executive director and other members, said month and year of birth is already collected by the Secretary of State and would be used only to calculate age, not to publish birthdates, and that the board intends to publish fact-based data without editorializing.

The committee voted to approve the amendment by a recorded show‑of‑hands tally of 7 in favor and 5 opposed; the committee then approved the bill as amended and sent it forward on a committee substitute vote.

The transcript records that the secretary of state and several licensing boards would supply data; the bill includes language directing collaboration among existing boards and licensing authorities.