Throughout the first half of the 110th Tennessee General Assembly, House Republicans -- led by State Representative Bryan Terry, MD (R-Murfreesboro) -- worked to improve the health of Tennesseans across the state.

As Chairman of the House Health Subcommittee, Terry -- who is also an anesthesiologist -- oversaw the advancement of several important pieces of legislation through the committee process. The committee focused on combating Tennessee's opioid crisis, protecting the state's unborn children and improving the overall quality of life in Tennessee.

House Bill 1207, which Chairman Terry co-sponsored, directly impacts all three of those areas. The legislation helps Tennessee identify high risk opioid prescribers, and sets forth educational tools for those prescribers and their patients in order to combat opioid addiction and potential cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS is a medical condition where children are born addicted to opioids and may have other developmental issues. House Bill 1207 also requires certain perinatal information from TennCare insurers so the state can better allocate resources to address this crisis.

"I would like to commend House Speaker Beth Harwell, Chairman Cameron Sexton, and Representative Sabi Kumar for their work on this bill and this critical issue," said Chairman Terry. "Tennessee has an opioid problem that is multifactorial. This law is an important step in addressing this public health crisis."

With shortages of physicians and access issues in parts of Tennessee, the House Health Subcommittee also worked to streamline the application process for doctors, physicians, specialists and sub-specialists who are credentialed in other states and want to work in Tennessee through the passage of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.

Additionally, they supported legislation known as the Visiting Sports Team Act, which allows traveling team physicians at the collegiate, amateur or professional level to use their existing medical licenses to treat athletes, coaches and team staff who are 18 years of age or older.

The House Health Subcommittee protected the rights of licensed pharmacists from discrimination by managed health insurance providers with the passage of House Bill 405 and worked with TennCare to incorporate pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM) into all of its healthcare delivery systems through the furtherance of House Bill 628.

"I was proud to sponsor House Bill 405 and co-sponsor House Bill 628," explained Terry. "With the training pharmacists already have, these new laws will improve access and decrease risks for Tennesseans, as well as ultimately decrease the costs for the state. These pieces of legislation were truly a win-win for patients and taxpayers."

Representative Terry also carried House Bill 315 -- a medical licensing and accountability measure from Governor Bill Haslam and House GOP Leadership -- through the entire legislative process. The new law helps the Department of Health to streamline the continuum of practice for providers from entry, reentry and gradual exit while safeguarding the public through enhanced accountability measures.

Protecting the unborn was another important accomplishment of the House Health Subcommittee. House Bill 1189 -- the Tennessee Infant Protection Act -- defined unborn infant viability at 24 weeks and banned abortion after that point with some exceptions. In addition, it requires proof of non-viability prior to an abortion performed after 20 weeks. Almost all abortions in Tennessee occur prior to 20 weeks and the bill mirrors an Ohio law that has never been challenged as being unconstitutional.

Although serving as chairman for the first time and with the Health Subcommittee being one of the busier committees, Representative Terry received praise at the Capitol for running an effective and efficient committee. He credits the results to committee members, their extensive work prior to committee meetings, and a process Terry uses in the business and hospital settings.

"Whether taking care of one patient at the hospital or taking care of millions of Tennesseans, many of the same principles apply. One must understand and assess the situation, determine the options, then choose the most effective and feasible treatment. Our success in this area can be traced to the diligent work of the men and women who serve on this committee and as members of our state's governing body. Their focus has been and continues to be improving the overall health and quality of life for all Tennesseans."

Bryan Terry, MD serves as Chairman of the House Health Subcommittee. He is also a member of the House Health and House Civil Justice Committees. Terry lives in Murfreesboro and represents House District 48, which is the eastern half of Rutherford County. He can be reached by email at: Rep.Bryan.Terry@capitol.tn.gov or by calling (615) 741-2180.