Bill
HB 5472
Illinois DFPR will collect detailed practice data from licensure and renewals, share it with DPH, and publish annual de-identified workforce reports.
HB5472 (104th General Assembly, Illinois) – DFPR Health Care Professionals
Overview
- Purpose: Amends the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (DFPR) Law to collect enhanced practice information from applicants for health care professional licensure and renewals, share certain data with the Department of Public Health (DPH), and publish aggregate, non-identifying data. The bill defines the scope of “health care professional” and protects the data from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Key Provisions
1) Expanded data collection with licensure/renewal applications
- Require (and permit voluntary) submission of detailed practice information:
- Areas of practice specialty
- Addresses of all current practice locations
- Hours spent at each practice location on direct outpatient care
- National Provider Identifier (NPI) number, if applicable
- Anticipated retirement date
- Purpose: Build a more complete picture of where and how health care professionals practice.
2) Data sharing with Department of Public Health
- DFPR must share the above practice information with authorized personnel at the Department of Public Health.
- The data collected specifically for this subsection is exempt from FOIA, meaning it is not subject to public records requests.
3) Annual public reporting (aggregate data)
- By March 1 each year, DFPR must publish a Department website report containing:
- Aggregated demographic data collected under subsection (a) for the preceding year (sex, ethnicity, race, disability, primary language, anticipated retirement date, type of employment, ZIP code)
- The number of licensure and renewal applications received in the preceding year
- The number of applicants denied licensure in the preceding year
- Crucially, the published data cannot identify individuals by name or any data that could identify them.
4) Definition of “health care professional”
- Broadly includes individuals licensed or registered under multiple Illinois acts covering medical, nursing, psychology, optometry, physical therapy, physician assistants, social work, nursing home administration, occupational therapy, podiatry, respiratory care, professional counseling, speech-language pathology, and audiology practice acts.
5) Data scope and confidentiality
- Emphasizes de-identification in published materials.
- FOIA-exemption applies specifically to data collected for the subsection on practice information, not necessarily to all DFPR data.
Current Status and Timeline (as of the introduced version)
- Introduced: February 13, 2026
- House actions: Passed Health Care Licenses Committee (amendment adopted) and favorable floor passage (specific dates in March 2026)
- Senate actions: Arrived in Senate and placed on calendar for first reading in April 2026; subsequent readings and vote occurred in April 2026, with final Senate action recorded on April 16, 2026 (includes confirmation of sponsor details)
Who Is Affected
- Health care professionals applying for or renewing licensure in Illinois (as defined by the bill’s health care professional category)
- DFPR and DP H personnel handling licensure, renewals, and interagency data sharing
- The public, who will receive annual aggregate, non-identifying data about licensure and workforce composition
Potential Impact
- Improved workforce data: More granular information on practice locations, specialties, and direct outpatient time could inform workforce planning, health system staffing, and access to care analyses.
- Privacy safeguards: Non-identifying publication and FOIA exemptions aim to protect individual identities.
- Interagency collaboration: Direct data sharing with DPH may enhance public health surveillance and planning.
- Administrative burden: Adds profiling data requirements for applicants; described as voluntary for some fields, but largely mandatory for licensure/renewal processes.
Note: This summary reflects the bill text as introduced and the action history up to April 2026.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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