Bill
HF 4721
Expands Minnesota’s volunteer health care provider program to include more licensed professionals (e.g., dentists, therapists) while preserving service scope and liability protecti
HF 4721 (Minnesota) — Summary of Key Provisions and Impact
Session: 2025-2026 | Jurisdiction: Minnesota | Topic: Provider categories added to the volunteer health care provider program
Overview
- Purpose: This bill expands the volunteer health care provider program by adding additional categories of health care providers to be eligible to participate. It updates the definitions related to who is considered a health care provider and the scope of health care services covered under the program.
- Primary change: The bill broadens the set of authorized provider categories and references a broader list of licensed professionals who may offer health care services under volunteer arrangements, subject to existing program rules and liability protections.
Key Provisions
- Section amended: Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 214.40, subdivision 1 (Definitions).
- Updated definitions:
- Health care facility or organization: Includes health care facilities licensed under chapter 144 or 144A, or a charitable organization.
- Health care provider: Expands to include:
- Physician
- Physician assistant (licensed and practicing under chapter 147A)
- Nurse (licensed and registered under chapter 148)
- Dentist, dental hygienist, or dental therapist (licensed under chapter 150A)
- Advanced dental therapist (licensed and certified under chapter 150A)
- Physical therapist (licensed under sections 148.65 to 148.78)
- Occupational therapist (licensed under sections 148.6401 to 148.645)
- Speech-language pathologist or audiologist (licensed under sections 148.511 to 148.5198)
- Health care services: The definition remains broad to include health promotion, health monitoring, health education, diagnosis, treatment, minor surgical procedures, administration of local anesthesia for wound stitching, and primary dental services (preventive, diagnostic, restorative, and emergency treatment). It clarifies that this does not include administration of general anesthesia or major surgical procedures.
- Medical professional liability insurance: Maintains the standard definition relating to insurance coverage for claims arising from negligence or malpractice in the provision of licensed health care services.
Who Is Affected
- Potential volunteer providers: The bill explicitly includes a wider range of licensed professionals as eligible volunteers under the program, notably expanding dental and therapy professions (advanced dental therapists, dental therapists, dental hygienists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, physical and occupational therapists) alongside physicians, physician assistants, and nurses.
- Health care facilities and organizations: Includes facilities licensed under relevant Minnesota health care regulations and charitable organizations involved in health care services.
- Recipients of volunteer care: Individuals receiving health care services from volunteer providers within the defined scope may benefit from increased access to volunteer-based, licensed professionals.
Procedural and Timeline Aspects
- Status: Introduction and first reading on March 26, 2026; referred to Health Finance and Policy.
- Next steps: The bill would move through committee review (likely Health Finance and Policy) before potential floor action, with any amendments affecting definitions, implementation timelines, or program administration.
- No specific funding or implementation timeline is stated in the provided text; typically, such updates would be accompanied by operational guidance or phased implementation in committee/agency rules if enacted.
Notes for Readers
- The core effect is to formalize the participation of a broader set of licensed health professionals in Minnesota’s volunteer health care provider program, expanding access to care delivered by volunteers in appropriate settings.
- The bill preserves safeguards via existing definitions of health care services and medical professional liability insurance requirements.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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