---
type: "Bill"
title: "Health Care - As enacted, exempts a patient receiving an initial behavioral health evaluation via telehealth from the requirement that a patient have an in-person encounter with a healthcare services provider, the healthcare services provider’s practice group, or the healthcare system within 16 months prior to an interactive visit in order to establish a provider-patient relationship for purposes of telehealth; allows a physician assistant who is authorized to prescribe drugs and who provides services solely via telehealth to arrange for chart review by a collaborating physician via HIPAA-compliant electronic means. - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 63."
description: "Health Care - As enacted, exempts a patient receiving an initial behavioral health evaluation via telehealth from the requirement that a patient have an in-person encounter with a healthcare services provider, the healthcare services provider’s practice group, or the healthcare system within 16 months prior to an interactive visit in order to establish a provider-patient relationship for purposes of telehealth; allows a physician assistant who is authorized to prescribe drugs and who provides services solely via telehealth to arrange for chart review by a collaborating physician via HIPAA-compliant electronic means. - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 63."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tn"
legislature: "Tennessee General Assembly"
session: "113"
identifier: "SB 721"
citation: "Tennessee SB 721 (113)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Health Care"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Massey"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 22
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-01-27"
last_action: "2023-05-03"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/82d6365d-05e6-4537-9224-6b0632b1d7d6"
source_url: "http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0721&GA=113"
source_hash: "8df32e7bb103271bd03d43bc4ece2b1066bd9f1819842170c9e748c79f68292e"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-tn"]
---

# Tennessee SB 721 (113) — Health Care - As enacted, exempts a patient receiving an initial behavioral health evaluation via telehealth from the requirement that a patient have an in-person encounter with a healthcare services provider, the healthcare services provider’s practice group, or the healthcare system within 16 months prior to an interactive visit in order to establish a provider-patient relationship for purposes of telehealth; allows a physician assistant who is authorized to prescribe drugs and who provides services solely via telehealth to arrange for chart review by a collaborating physician via HIPAA-compliant electronic means. - Amends TCA Title 56 and Title 63.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Amendment HA0127** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/113/Amend/HA0127.pdf)
2. **Amendment SA0030** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/113/Amend/SA0030.pdf)
3. **Current Version** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/113/Bill/SB0721.pdf)

## Votes

- FLOOR VOTE: as Amended Third Consideration 2/23/2023 Passed (1) — **33–0** (pass) · upper
- SENATE COMMERCE AND LABOR COMMITTEE: Recommended for passage with amendment, refer to Senate Calendar Committee 2/14/2023 Passed (2) — **6–0** (pass) · upper
- FLOOR VOTE: REGULAR CALENDAR PASSAGE ON THIRD CONSIDERATION 4/3/2023 Passed (1) — **95–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Massey — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-01-27** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2023-01-30** Introduced, Passed on First Consideration `introduction`
- **2023-02-02** Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee `passage`
- **2023-02-07** Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 2/14/2023
- **2023-02-14** Sponsor(s) Added. `sponsorship`
- **2023-02-14** Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 6 , Nays 0 PNV 0
- **2023-02-21** Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 2/23/2023
- **2023-02-23** Engrossed; ready for transmission to House `receipt`
- **2023-02-23** Sponsor(s) Added. `sponsorship`
- **2023-02-23** Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 33, Nays 0 `passage`
- **2023-02-23** Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0030)
- **2023-02-27** Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
- **2023-04-03** Passed H., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0 `passage`
- **2023-04-03** Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0127) `amendment-withdrawal`
- **2023-04-03** Subst. for comp. HB. `substitution`
- **2023-04-05** Enrolled and ready for signatures `enrolled`
- **2023-04-06** Signed by Senate Speaker `passage`
- **2023-04-11** Signed by H. Speaker `passage`
- **2023-04-12** Transmitted to Governor for action. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-24** Signed by Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-03** Effective date(s) 04/24/2023
- **2023-05-03** Pub. Ch. 201

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/82d6365d-05e6-4537-9224-6b0632b1d7d6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Tennessee legislature records).