---
title: SB 162. Georgia Composite Medical Board; implement an automated credentialing system for healthcare providers in this state; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb162
cite_as: SB 162, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb162
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb162.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb162/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70301
date: 2026-05-05
status: passed
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: 1599
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb162.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 162
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-05
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
- Chuck Hufstetler
- Ben Watson
- Kay Kirkpatrick
- Blake Tillery
- Larry Walker
- Sharon Cooper
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB162/2025
upstream_id: 1968108
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- medical licensing
- healthcare credentialing
- Georgia Composite Medical Board
- physician assistants
- state funding
---
# SB 162. Georgia Composite Medical Board; implement an automated credentialing system for healthcare providers in this state; provide
## Text
Senate Bill 162
By: Senators Hufstetler of the 52nd, Watson of the 1st, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Tillery of
the 19th and Walker III of the 20th
AS PASSED
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 34 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to Georgia Composite Medical Board, so as to provide for the board to implement
an automated licensing system for certain healthcare providers in this state; to provide for
guidelines; to provide for a short title; to provide for legislative declarations and intent; to
provide for contingent effectiveness and automatic repeal; to provide for related matters; to
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as "The Paul Brock Act."
SECTION 2.
The Georgia Composite Medical Board has recently implemented a new data management
system used in the licensing of healthcare providers. It is the intent of the General Assembly
that this new system be further modified to allow healthcare providers to input credentialing
information specific to their facility with the outcome being that, once credentialed and
licensed in Georgia, the healthcare provider would be available to all healthcare facilities
without the need for additional credentialing.
SECTION 3.
Article 1 of Chapter 34 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
Georgia Composite Medical Board, is amended in Code Section 43-34-6, relating to board
as an independent agency, executive director, meetings and hearings, licenses, certificates,
and permits, investigations, venue, credit to veterans, and annual report, by adding new
subsections to read as follows:
"(k) No later than January 1, 2027, the board shall modify its data management software
system to streamline and automate the licensing process for physicians, physician
assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants. No later than January 1, 2027, such system shall
be fully operational for other healthcare providers licensed by the board.
(l) The system provided for in subsection (k) of this Code section may:
(1) Organize, verify, and store the licenses of healthcare providers, allowing for a single
verification process that results in authorization state wide, provided that a healthcare
facility, licensee, or applicant inputs the credentialing information and agrees to such
authorization;
(2) If available, be customizable so that a healthcare facility can add requirements to
meet such facility's rules, regulations, or bylaws;
(3) Allow any healthcare facility to accept the information for licensing as acceptance
for credentialing and any healthcare provider to add additional requirements for
credentialing in their facility;
(4) Allow for administrative approval of licenses by the board to provide for physicians,
physician assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants to be available for employment
immediately upon meeting all requirements; and
(5) Perform any other functions the board deems necessary to improve licensing
processes under this chapter."
SECTION 4.
This Act shall become effective only if funds are specifically appropriated for the purposes
of such Act in an appropriations Act enacted by the General Assembly and shall stand
repealed by operation of law on December 31, 2030, if no such funding becomes available
before such date.
SECTION 5.
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.
A Georgia Senate bill, known as the Paul Brock Act, would require the Georgia Composite Medical Board to build an automated system letting healthcare providers get credentialed once and recognized statewide, without repeating paperwork at every facility.
### Plain-language summary
Right now, doctors, physician assistants, and other healthcare providers licensed by the Georgia Composite Medical Board often must go through separate credentialing at each hospital or clinic where they work, even after they already hold a state license. This bill directs the board to modify its existing data management system so that once a provider is credentialed and licensed, that information can be verified once and accepted statewide by any healthcare facility, as long as the facility, licensee, or applicant agrees.
The upgraded system would let facilities add their own extra requirements on top of the state license, and it would allow the board to approve licenses administratively so physicians, physician assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants can start working as soon as they meet all requirements. The board must make this system operational for physicians, physician assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants by January 1, 2027, and for other licensed healthcare providers by the same date. The law only takes effect if the General Assembly specifically appropriates funding for it, and it automatically repeals on December 31, 2030 if that funding never comes through.
### What it does
- Requires the Georgia Composite Medical Board to modify its data system to automate and streamline licensing for physicians, physician assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants by January 1, 2027.
- Extends that automated system requirement to all other healthcare providers licensed by the board by the same January 1, 2027 deadline.
- Allows a single statewide verification of a provider's license and credentials to substitute for separate credentialing at each healthcare facility, if the facility or provider agrees.
- Lets healthcare facilities customize the system to add their own extra credentialing requirements beyond the state license.
- Allows the board to approve licenses administratively so covered providers can start working as soon as they meet requirements.
- Makes the entire Act contingent on the General Assembly appropriating specific funding, and sets it to automatically repeal on December 31, 2030 if no funding is provided.
### Who it affects
Physicians, physician assistants, anesthesiologist assistants, and other healthcare providers licensed by the Georgia Composite Medical Board; hospitals and other healthcare facilities that currently run their own separate credentialing processes; and the board itself, which must build and operate the new system.
### Why it matters
If funded, the change could let licensed healthcare providers start working at new facilities faster by avoiding duplicate credentialing paperwork, while still letting individual facilities add their own extra requirements. Because the law depends on future state funding, its practical effect hinges on whether lawmakers actually appropriate money for it.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the bill 'The Paul Brock Act.'
- Section 2 states the General Assembly's intent that the board's data system be modified so credentialed, licensed providers can work at any facility without additional credentialing.
- Section 3 adds new subsections (k) and (l) to O.C.G.A. ยง 43-34-6, setting a January 1, 2027 deadline for an automated licensing system covering physicians, physician assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants, and later other licensed providers.
- Subsection (l) lists what the system may do: organize and verify licenses for statewide authorization, allow facility-specific customization, let facilities treat licensing as credentialing, and allow administrative approval for immediate employment.
- Section 4 makes the Act effective only if the General Assembly specifically appropriates funds for it, and provides for automatic repeal on December 31, 2030 if no funding is appropriated by then.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-05)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-05)
- Sponsors: Chuck Hufstetler, Ben Watson, Kay Kirkpatrick, Blake Tillery, Larry Walker, Sharon Cooper
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70301
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,599 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb162.md?full=1