Bill > HB1239

This bill amends Tennessee law to expand the authorization for certain healthcare providers, specifically physician assistants and nurse practitioners, to prescribe buprenorphine products for treating opioid use disorder, but only within specific correctional settings. Under the new provisions, these providers must meet several strict conditions: they must have an active federal Drug Enforcement Agency registration, be employed by or contracted with a state correctional facility or county/municipal jail, adopt clinical protocols for medication-assisted treatment, limit prescriptions to 50 patients at a time, have their patient charts reviewed 100% by a physician, be supervised by a physician who oversees no more than five such providers, prescribe no more than 16 milligrams of buprenorphine equivalent daily, have no prior license limitations, and exclusively prescribe to patients being treated through their employing correctional facility. Previously, only physicians licensed under specific Tennessee chapters were authorized to prescribe buprenorphine for medication-assisted treatment, so this bill represents a targeted expansion of prescribing authority for certain healthcare providers in correctional healthcare settings. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Health and Social Services

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1239&ga=114