HB 692: Nurses; notify supervising or delegating physician when subject to a complaint or report in outpatient settings; provisions

Currently, when the Georgia Board of Nursing receives a complaint about a registered professional nurse or advanced practice registered nurse, there is no requirement that the nurse's supervising or delegating physician be told, even if the complaint involves care that legally requires physician involvement, such as ordering, administering, or prescribing drugs and other medical products. House Bill 692 adds a new Code section requiring nurses in outpatient settings to immediately notify their supervising or delegating physician when they learn of such a complaint. It also requires the Board of Nursing to immediately forward copies of relevant complaints, along with investigative materials, to the Georgia Composite Medical Board starting July 1, 2025. The board must also send the Medical Board copies of similar complaints going back to January 1, 2021, no later than December 31, 2025. The bill protects the confidentiality of these shared communications under existing medical peer review law, and it exempts complaints involving nurses working through home health agencies.

• Requires registered professional nurses and advanced practice registered nurses in outpatient settings to immediately notify their supervising or delegating physician of any complaint or report filed against them with the Georgia Board of Nursing.
• Requires the Georgia Board of Nursing to immediately send copies of qualifying complaints and investigative materials to the Georgia Composite Medical Board starting July 1, 2025.
• Requires the Board of Nursing to send the Medical Board copies of similar complaints received between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2025, by December 31, 2025.
• Protects the confidentiality and legal privileges of communications shared between the two boards under Georgia's medical peer review law (Article 6 of Chapter 7 of Title 31).
• Exempts complaints involving nurses providing care through a home health agency (as defined in O.C.G.A. § 31-7-150) from these new requirements.
• Defines key terms including prescription drug, biological product, medical device, and compounded drug to clarify what kinds of care trigger the notification and reporting duties.

Registered professional nurses and advanced practice registered nurses who work in outpatient settings, the physicians who supervise or delegate authority to them, the Georgia Board of Nursing, and the Georgia Composite Medical Board, which will receive additional complaint referrals and investigative materials.

Physicians who delegate medical tasks to nurses would now learn sooner if that nurse faces a complaint involving prescription drugs, devices, or other care requiring physician oversight, potentially affecting supervision decisions. It also creates a new information-sharing channel between Georgia's nursing and medical licensing boards for these cases.

• Adds new Code Section 43-26-56 defining prescription products to include prescription drugs, biological products, medical devices, and compounded drugs.
• Subsection (b) requires nurses to immediately notify their supervising or delegating physician of a complaint involving care requiring physician involvement, effective July 1, 2025.
• Subsection (c) requires the Board of Nursing to immediately transmit copies of qualifying complaints and investigative materials to the Georgia Composite Medical Board, effective July 1, 2025.
• Subsection (d) requires the Board of Nursing to send the Medical Board copies of qualifying complaints from January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2025 by December 31, 2025.
• Subsection (e) preserves confidentiality and peer review privileges for communications exchanged between the two boards.
• Subsection (f) exempts complaints related to care provided through home health agencies from the notification and transmission requirements.

1. 2025-03-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-03House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-28House Hopper (House)

• Mark Newton (R, HD-127)Primary sponsor
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-27)

• nursing regulation
• medical licensing
• physician oversight
• healthcare complaints
• outpatient care