---
title: HB 102. Community Health, Department of; Georgia Quality Reporting Project; establish
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb102
cite_as: HB 102, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb102
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb102.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb102/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69455
date: 2025-01-28
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb102.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 102
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-01-17
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Sharon Cooper
  - Mark Newton
  - Deborah Silcox
  - Lee Hawkins
  - Michelle Au
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB102/2025
upstream_id: 1929268
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Medicaid
  - opioid treatment
  - healthcare data privacy
  - health insurance regulation
  - public health reporting
---

# HB 102. Community Health, Department of; Georgia Quality Reporting Project; establish

## Text

House Bill 102
By: Representatives Cooper of the 45th, Newton of the 127th, Silcox of the 53rd, Hawkins of
the 27th, and Au of the 50th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 2 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
Department of Community Health, so as to provide for the establishment of the Georgia
Quality Reporting Project; to provide for definitions; to provide for the purposes of the
project; to provide for a working group; to provide for submission of clinical data; to provide
for processing of clinical data with claims data; to provide for penalties; to amend Code
Section 33-6-4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to enumeration of unfair
methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices and penalty, so as to provide
for conforming changes; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Department
of Community Health, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
<ins>"31-2-20.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
</ins>
<ins>(1) 'Direct personal identifiers' means information relating to a covered individual that
contains primary or obvious identifiers, such as the individual's name, street address,
email address, telephone number, and social security number, but shall not include
geographic or demographic information that would prohibit the identification of a
covered individual.
(2) 'GQRP' means the Georgia Quality Reporting Project established pursuant to this
Code section.
(3) 'HEDIS' means the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set.
(4) 'Qualified Health Information Network' or 'QHIN' means a network certified by the
secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the
assistant secretary for technology policy/office of the National Coordinator for Health
Information Technology that meets all of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common
Agreement requirements established by the federal 21st Century Cures Act, P.L. 114-255,
and utilizes a quality measure calculation product certified by the National Committee
for Quality Assurance for HEDIS reporting.
(5) 'Submitting entity' means a Medicaid care management organization that contracts
with the department to arrange healthcare services for Medicaid recipients.
(b)(1) The department shall facilitate the establishment of the Georgia Quality Reporting
Project. The purpose of the GQRP shall be to:
(A) Gauge the quality of treatment for opioid use disorder and healthcare overall;
(B) Improve the quality of care to Georgia residents;
(C) Reduce the overall cost of medical treatment and care in this state; and
(D) Foster clinical research in this state.
(2) The department may enter into agreements with the administrator of the Georgia
All-Payer Claims Database established pursuant to Article 3 of Chapter 53 of this title
and the Georgia Data Analytic Center established pursuant to Part 3 of Article 4 of
</ins>
<ins>Chapter 12 of Title 45 for purposes of establishing the GQRP and accomplishing its
purposes.
(c) The department shall facilitate the establishment of a GQRP use case working group
for the purpose of creating a framework and implementation plan for the GQRP.
(d) Beginning January 1, 2028, and every month thereafter, all submitting entities shall be
required to transmit clinical data collected through the methods and formats established by
the federal Department of Health and Human Services' Electronic Clinical Quality
Measures Fast Health Information Resources standards to the department. Such data shall
be transmitted either directly or through QHIN connections implemented by such
submitting entities. Such data shall include:
(1) Clinical data from electronic health records for all Georgia healthcare organizations
who provide substance use disorder care to Medicaid patients to evaluate opioid care in
this state; and
(2) Clinical data from electronic health records to report relevant state level quality
measures to evaluate the quality of care and improve clinical outcomes for in-state
patients.
(e) Beginning January 1, 2029, and every month thereafter, the clinical data collected
pursuant to subsection (d) of this Code section shall be converted and combined with all
claims data to calculate state level opioid statistics and relevant state level quality measures
available in the HEDIS data sets. A nationally recognized and standardized National
Committee for Quality Assurance accredited process shall be used for the calculation of
relevant HEDIS quality measures.
(f) Direct personal identifiers contained in clinical data transmitted pursuant to this Code
section shall not be considered a public record and shall not be subject to Article 4 of
Chapter 18 of Title 50, relating to open records.
</ins>
<ins>(g) The collection, storage, and release of healthcare data and other information pursuant
to this Code section shall be subject to the federal Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, P.L. 104-191.
(h) Except as otherwise provided in this Code section, any submitting entity that fails to
submit clinical data in accordance with this Code section shall be subject to penalty. The
department shall adopt a schedule of penalties not to exceed $1,000.00 per day of violation,
determined by the severity of the violation. A penalty imposed under this subsection may
be remitted or mitigated upon such terms and conditions as the department considers proper
and consistent with the public health and safety. Any fines collected pursuant to this
subsection shall be deposited into the state treasury.
(i) Any submitting entity that is subject to the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of
Insurance that fails to submit clinical data in accordance with this Code section shall be
subject to violation of paragraph (14.2) of subsection (b) of Code Section 33-6-4, and any
other penalties that may be imposed by the Commissioner of Insurance. The department
may refer violations by such submitting entities to the Commissioner of Insurance for
enforcement action for each instance in which such submitting entity fails to submit clinical
data to the department in accordance with this Code section and in accordance with any
rules and regulations established for such purpose.
(j) No healthcare provider contracting with a submitting entity to provide healthcare
services to Medicaid recipients shall be required to incur any direct or indirect expense
related to the compliance by a submitting entity with the requirements of this Code section."
</ins> SECTION 2.
Code Section 33-6-4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to enumeration of
unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices and penalty, is
amended by revising paragraph (14.2) of subsection (b) as follows:
"(14.2) Failing to submit all claims data to the Georgia All-Payer Claims Database as
required in Article 3 of Chapter 53 of Title 31 <ins>or failing to submit all clinical data to the
department as required in Code Section 31-2-20;"
</ins> SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

House Bill 102 would create the Georgia Quality Reporting Project, requiring Medicaid managed care organizations to send patient clinical data to the Department of Community Health to track opioid treatment quality and overall healthcare quality statewide.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia currently collects insurance claims data through the All-Payer Claims Database, but not detailed clinical data from electronic health records. This bill directs the Department of Community Health to set up the Georgia Quality Reporting Project (GQRP) to gauge the quality of opioid use disorder treatment and healthcare generally, improve care, lower costs, and support clinical research.
Starting January 1, 2028, Medicaid care management organizations (called submitting entities) would have to send monthly clinical data in a standardized federal format, either directly or through certified health information networks. Starting January 1, 2029, the department would combine that clinical data with claims data monthly to calculate statewide quality measures. Direct personal identifiers in the data would be exempt from Georgia's open records law, and all data handling would follow federal HIPAA privacy rules. Entities that fail to submit data face fines of up to $1,000 per day, and insurance-regulated entities could also face penalties under Georgia's unfair trade practices law.

### What it does

- Creates the Georgia Quality Reporting Project within the Department of Community Health to track opioid treatment and overall healthcare quality statewide.
- Requires Medicaid care management organizations to submit monthly clinical data from electronic health records to the department starting January 1, 2028.
- Directs the department to combine that clinical data with claims data starting January 1, 2029 to calculate statewide opioid and quality statistics.
- Exempts direct personal identifiers in the submitted clinical data from Georgia's open records law (O.C.G.A. Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50).
- Allows the department to fine noncompliant submitting entities up to $1,000 per day, with proceeds going to the state treasury.
- Amends Georgia's unfair trade practices law (O.C.G.A. § 33-6-4) so failing to submit clinical data is also a violation enforceable by the Commissioner of Insurance.

### Who it affects

Medicaid care management organizations that contract with the state, the Department of Community Health, healthcare providers who treat Medicaid patients for substance use disorder, the Georgia Commissioner of Insurance, and Medicaid patients whose clinical data would be collected and analyzed.

### Why it matters

The bill would give the state a new pipeline of detailed clinical data, beyond insurance claims, to measure how well Georgia is treating opioid use disorder and other health conditions. It creates real financial penalties for insurers who don't comply, while shielding identifying patient details from public records requests.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 adds a new Code section, O.C.G.A. § 31-2-20, defining terms like 'submitting entity' (Medicaid care management organizations) and 'QHIN' (certified health data networks).
- Subsection (b) states the GQRP's purposes: gauging opioid treatment and overall care quality, improving care, cutting costs, and fostering clinical research.
- Subsection (c) creates a GQRP use case working group to build a framework and implementation plan.
- Subsection (d) requires monthly clinical data submissions starting January 1, 2028, covering opioid care and other state-level quality measures.
- Subsection (e) requires the department to combine clinical and claims data starting January 1, 2029 using a nationally accredited HEDIS calculation process.
- Subsection (f) exempts direct personal identifiers in the data from Georgia's open records law, and subsection (g) requires compliance with federal HIPAA privacy rules.
- Subsection (h) sets penalties of up to $1,000 per day for noncompliant submitting entities, deposited into the state treasury; subsection (i) extends enforcement to the Commissioner of Insurance.
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 33-6-4 to add failure to submit clinical data as an unfair trade practice violation.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-01-17)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-01-28)
- Sponsors: Sharon Cooper, Mark Newton, Deborah Silcox, Lee Hawkins, Michelle Au
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69455

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb102.md?full=1