HB54: HB54 Health; advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants to order home healthcare services; authorize

Under current Georgia law, orders for home health care services such as skilled nursing, therapy, and medical social services generally had to come from a physician. This bill changes several parts of Georgia law (in Titles 16, 31, 43, and 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated) to let advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) also order these services for patients, as long as the person ordering the care does not have an ownership interest in the agency receiving the referral. The bill updates the definitions of 'home health agency,' 'home health healthcare services,' and 'plan of treatment' to include orders from APRNs and PAs, not just physicians. It also lets registered nurses in home health settings administer certain drugs based on an APRN's or PA's order, requires biennial continuing education on death certificates for PAs and certain nurses, gives physicians authority to delegate home healthcare ordering to PAs through a job description, and expands a state tax credit for caregiving expenses to cover services ordered by APRNs and PAs.

• Allows advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants, not just physicians, to order home health services for patients under Georgia's home health agency laws.
• Updates the legal definitions of 'home health agency,' 'home health healthcare services,' and 'plan of treatment' in O.C.G.A. Title 31 to include orders from APRNs and physician assistants.
• Permits registered nurses in home health settings to administer sterile saline, sterile water, and diluted heparin based on an order from a physician, APRN, or physician assistant.
• Requires physician assistants and certain nurses who receive delegated authority to complete continuing education every two years on recognizing, documenting, and certifying causes of death.
• Lets a physician delegate to a physician assistant, through a written job description, the specific authority to order home healthcare services for a patient.
• Expands the state's tax credit for qualified caregiving expenses (O.C.G.A. § 48-7-29.2) to cover home health and medical equipment ordered by APRNs and physician assistants.

The bill affects advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants, physicians who currently order home health care, home health agencies and their patients, registered nurses who administer medications in home settings, and Georgia taxpayers who claim the caregiving expense tax credit.

Patients receiving home health care could get orders for nursing visits, therapy, or medical supplies approved by an APRN or physician assistant instead of waiting on a physician, which could speed up access to care in areas with fewer doctors. Caregivers may also qualify for tax credits on a wider range of ordered services.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 16-13-72 to let home health nurses administer certain drugs based on orders from physicians, APRNs, or physician assistants, provided the orderer has no ownership stake in the referral agency.
• Section 2 revises the definition of 'home health agency' in O.C.G.A. § 31-6-2 to recognize treatment ordered by APRNs and physician assistants, and adds skilled nursing care and additional therapy services to the list of covered services.
• Section 3 rewrites definitions in O.C.G.A. § 31-7-150, adding formal definitions for 'advanced practice registered nurse' and 'physician assistant' tied to their statutory authority under Code Sections 43-34-25 and 43-34-103.
• Section 4 updates O.C.G.A. § 31-7-153 so state licensing regulations for home health agencies account for supervision by advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants, not just physicians and registered nurses.
• Section 5 amends inspection rules under O.C.G.A. § 31-7-154 so the Department of Community Health verifies care matches orders from physicians, APRNs, or physician assistants.
• Section 6 requires physician assistants and certain delegated nurses to complete continuing education on death certificate documentation every two years.
• Section 7 adds a new subsection to O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103 letting a physician delegate authority to a physician assistant to order home healthcare services via a job description.
• Section 8 expands the tax credit definition in O.C.G.A. § 48-7-29.2 to include caregiving expenses ordered by APRNs and physician assistants.

1. 2026-02-10Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended (Senate)
2. 2025-04-04House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended (House)
3. 2025-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
4. 2025-04-02Senate Third Read (Senate)
5. 2025-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
6. 2025-03-21Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2025-03-10Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)

• David Clark (R, HD-100)Primary sponsor
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Carter Barrett (R, HD-024)
• Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)
• David Huddleston (R, HD-072)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   177 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #233

2. FailedSenate voteApril 2, 2025

   23 yea, 30 nay (2 not voting, 1 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #2 By The Senator From The 41st: Senate Vote #398

3. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2025

   54 yea, 1 nay (0 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #399

4. PassedHouse voteApril 4, 2025

   157 yea, 0 nay (11 not voting, 12 absent)

   Agree To Senate Sub As Amend By House: House Vote #438

5. PassedSenate voteFebruary 10, 2026

   30 yea, 17 nay (1 not voting, 6 absent)

   Shall The Ruling Of The Chair Be Sustained: Senate Vote #535

6. PassedSenate voteFebruary 10, 2026

   30 yea, 18 nay (1 not voting, 5 absent)

   Adoption Of Amend #1a By Sen From The 19th To Amend #1 By Sen From The 1st: Senate Vote #536

7. PassedSenate voteFebruary 10, 2026

   30 yea, 18 nay (1 not voting, 5 absent)

   Agree To House Amendment To Senate Substitute As Amended: Senate Vote #537

• home health care
• nurse practitioners
• physician assistants
• medical licensing
• caregiver tax credits