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Committee approves statewide health-care provider directory with age/location fields added
Summary
A House committee amended and advanced legislation directing the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to create a statewide directory of licensed health-care professionals, adding month/year of birth and city/county/ZIP fields at the request of the Secretary of State's office.
A House committee advanced Senate Bill 131 on Thursday after adding an amendment to require that licensing records include month and year of birth and more precise location information so the state can calculate provider age and map practice locations.
The bill directs the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to establish a statewide data system listing licensed health-care professionals by age, language proficiency, gender, practice location and practice type, and to collaborate with the relevant licensing boards. The sponsor said the goal is to help both health-care planners identify provider shortages and consumers search for nearby providers.
During committee discussion, staff from the Secretary of State's office told lawmakers it does not capture age directly but does record month and year of birth and certain location fields. The sponsor agreed to an amendment to add "month and year of birth" and a city/county/ZIP data field to the criteria. Committee debate focused on privacy concerns: several members warned age and location could be personally identifying in counties with very few providers; others said age data are essential for workforce planning and that the information is already collected on license records. The amendment passed on a show-of-hands vote (7 ayes, 5 opposed) and the bill advanced as amended.
Why it matters Supporters said a centralized, searchable directory will help state health planners locate "health-care deserts" and help consumers find nearby providers; opponents warned of privacy and potential misuse if data allow re-identification in sparsely served counties.
What the committee decided - The committee adopted an amendment to add month/year of birth and city/county/ZIP to the directory criteria. Vote on the amendment: 7 ayes, 5 opposed. - The bill then advanced as amended.
What remains The measure moves forward in the legislative process. Sponsors said the board may seek federal or other funding to build and maintain the system, and that licensing boards will collaborate to populate the directory.
