TN Lawmakers Want To Cut Red Tape For Out-of-state Medical Equipment

Photo: Non invasive ventilator (niv) with mask used by patients with respiratory problems at home. Photo Credit: Dorota Szymczyk / Shutterstock

By Cameron Arcand [The Center Square contributor] –

Tennessee is a step closer to making it easier for patients to access some home medical equipment services.

The Senate unanimously passed on Monday Senate Bill 0925, which would allow out-of-state providers of home medical technology to give services without needing a license to conduct business in Tennessee.

The legislation is referred to as Quinnlee’s Law in honor of a baby who recently died due to a rare medical condition, spinal muscular atrophy, which heavily impacted her lungs.

Quinnlee Shriner was unable to leave the hospital for a period of time because the specific type of ventilator she needed was not allowed for at-home use in the state. The ventilator company had to get permission from the Health Facilities Commission. This two-week process gave the green light under the condition it established a Tennessee branch within a month, according to WJHL.

“This was just before the holidays and the family wanted to bring baby Quinnlee back home for the holidays,” Sen. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, said Monday on the Senate floor, describing the situation involving the red tape as an “incredible burden.”

Although Shriner was eventually able to get the ventilator at home to spend her remaining time, the law’s goal is to ensure it does not cause a bureaucratic challenge for future patients needing special equipment.

Rep. Gary Hicks’s, R-Rogersville, version of the bill is making its way through the House.