State Legislative Advocacy

TNAFP exists to serve and support family physicians and their patients, and one of the most important ways we do that is through legislative and regulatory advocacy. The Academy works directly with lawmakers at the state level – and at the national level in conjunction with AAFP – to promote good healthcare policies and oppose measures that adversely impact family physicians and/or their patients.

Tennessee’s family physicians can use the Academy to engage in the legislative process and connect directly with their representatives at the state capitol, where TNAFP represents 2,500 members with a single, coordinated and respected voice.

Elected officials in Nashville make decisions that affect how you practice medicine and deliver care to your patients. As the saying goes, “If you aren’t at the table, then you’re on the menu.”

2023 Legislative Priorities

• Investing in primary care to improve healthcare access – TNAFP is working directly with Sen. Rusty Crowe (R – Johnson City) to champion a measure that calls for funding to incentivize family physicians to practice in rural, underserved areas of the state. If passed, the bill would authorize the state government to allocate funding to help pay family physicians’ medical school debt in exchange for a minimum number of years practicing in certain geographic locations.
• Scope of Practice – TNAFP is a part of the Coalition for Collaborative Care, a consortium of medical specialty societies organized to oppose nurse independent practice and promote physician-led, team-based care models. The CCC will continue educating lawmakers on physicians’ incomparable education, training and experience and warn of the ramifications on patient safety and quality of care if nurse practitioners or physician assistants were allowed to practice without physician supervision.
• Prior authorization reform – TNAFP is collaborating with the Tennessee Medical Association on a proposal to reduce unnecessary administrative burden and streamline the prior authorization process for physicians and their staff.
• PBM rebate pass through – TNAFP is working with a coalition of healthcare interest groups to promote a bill that would require pharmacy benefit managers to pass through rebates negotiated with drugmakers directly to patients.

The Tennessee General Assembly files more than 1,000 pieces of legislation every year, on average, and at least 300 bills are related to healthcare. TNAFP will monitor all bills related to healthcare and keep members informed of important issues during the session, even when the Academy has no official position or must remain neutral because of differing opinions within the membership. Generally speaking, TNAFP opposes measures that could adversely affect family physicians and patients and supports proposals that improve patient care and the practice of medicine.