House Bill 29 amends Tennessee Code Annotated to update the terminology used in relation to chiropractors, replacing the term "chiropractor" with "chiropractic physician" throughout Section 56-7-2404. Additionally, the bill introduces a new subdivision that mandates health insurance entities to treat chiropractic physicians and other licensed physicians equally when determining reimbursement amounts for services listed in nationally recognized code books. This provision aims to prevent discrimination in reimbursement methodologies and amounts based on the type of physician providing the service.

The new language specifies that health insurance entities cannot create separate codes or payment methodologies for chiropractic services that are not included in the nationally recognized services and procedures code book. However, it allows for the use of national uniform relative value units (RVUs) to account for resources used in providing services. The bill also clarifies that this new provision does not apply to certain programs, including TennCare and CoverKids, or to insurance coverage provided by state or local governments. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 56-7-2404, 56-7-2404(a)