Department of Health
John J. Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, Commissioner

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About the Medical Laboratory Board

The Tennessee Medical Laboratory Board was created in 1990 by an act of the State Legislature. The Board is responsible for safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of Tennesseans, by requiring that all who provide medical laboratory services within this state is qualified. The Board interprets the laws, rules, and regulations to determine the appropriate standards of practice in an effort to ensure the highest degree of professional conduct. The Board is also responsible for the investigation of alleged violations of the Practice Act and rules and is responsible for the discipline of licensees who are found guilty of such violation.

The Board licenses qualified candidates who have graduated from approved clinical laboratory training programs in combination with higher education requirements, culminating in either an associate or baccalaureate degree. The Board licenses and monitors the performance of medical laboratory facilities. In addition to licensing clinical laboratories, the Board licenses collection stations, blood donor centers, ambulatory surgical treatment centers, and plasmapheresis centers. Medical laboratories are charged with providing the medical practitioner with vital information, which is essential to a determination of the nature, extent, cause, and condition of individuals who seek medical treatment in Tennessee. The Board is authorized to approve medical laboratories or medical laboratory training facilities to operate training programs for the instruction of laboratory personnel.

The administrative staff of the Division of Health Related Boards supports the Board by issuing licenses to those who meet the requirements of the law and rules. Renewal notices are mailed from the Board's administrative office forty-five (45) days prior to the expiration of the license to the current address on record. Licenses can be renewed on-line one hundred twenty (120) days prior to expiration at Tennessee.gov/health.  Click on the "License Renewal" link and follow the prompts. Licensees are responsible for renewing their licenses on time and keeping the Board apprised of current information. It is a violation of the law and of the board’s rules to practice on an expired license.

Licenses awarded by the Board include:

Licenses of Laboratory Personnel

• Medical Laboratory Director
• Medical Laboratory Technologist
• Medical Laboratory Technician
• Special Analyst Chemistry
• Special Analyst Hematology
• Special Analyst Immunohematology
• Special Analyst Microbiology
• Special Analyst Histocompatability/Immunogenetics
• Special Analyst Cytotechnology
• Special Analyst Toxicology
• Special Analyst Cytogenetics
• Special Analyst Flow Cytometry
• Trainee Permits for students enrolled in approved training programs
• Temporary license for personnel awaiting examination results

Licenses of Clinical Laboratory Facilities

• Medical Laboratory
• Independent Laboratory
• Blood Donor Center
• Collection Station (facilities who receive laboratory specimens from Tennessee and are not licensed by the Tennessee Medical Laboratory Act)
• Plasmapheresis Center
• Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center (clinical lab located in the center)

Licenses of Programs for Clinical Laboratory Personnel

• Medical Laboratory Technologist Training Program
• Medical Laboratory Technician Training Program
• Special Analyst-Cytotechnologist Training Program
• Special Analyst-Cytogenetics Training Program

The Board meets four (4) times a year. The meetings are scheduled for three (3) days with the first day devoted to issues related to the Personnel and Education Committee, a subcommittee of the full board. A quorum of two-thirds (2/3) of the members is required to conduct business. The meetings are open to the public. The thirteen (13) members of the Board are appointed by the Governor and serve four (4) year terms. The Board is comprised of pathologists, medical laboratory personnel, clinical laboratory managers, laboratory educators, a hospital administrator, and a nonlaboratory (public) representative.

Contact the Medical Laboratory Board

To contact this board, call (615) 532-5128 local or 1-800-778-4123 nationwide
or write
  227 French Landing, Suite 300
Heritage Place MetroCenter
  Nashville, TN  37243
(for overnight delivery mail use 37228 for zip code)

Members

Board Members

Meeting Schedule

Meeting Schedule

Public Notices will remain online until the minutes are ratified and posted on the Meeting Minutes Tab. Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at 227 French Landing, MetroCenter.

Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes

Copies of all minutes are maintained in the official record section of the administrative office. Please contact the board administrator to make arrangements to review minutes of meetings held prior to 2004.

Full Board Meeting

• April 18, 2013 (Minutes will be posted as soon as they are available.)
• February 19, 2012
• October 18, 2012
• July 19, 2012
• April 19, 2012
• January 19, 2012
• October 13, 2011
• July 14, 2011
• April 14, 2011
• January 13, 2011
• November 4, 2010 - Teleconference
• October 14, 2010
• July 15, 2010
• April 15, 2010
• January 14, 2010
• October 15, 2009
• July 16, 2009
• April 16, 2009
• January 15, 2009
• October 9-10, 2008
• July 10-11, 2008
• April 10, 2008
• January 10, 2008
• October 11-12, 2007
• July 12,2007
• April 12,2007
• January 26,2007
• October 12, 2006
• July 13, 2006
• April 13, 2006
• January 12, 2006
• October 13, 2005
• July 14, 2005
• April 14, 2005
• January 13, 2005
• October 14, 2004
• July 15, 2004
• April 15, 2004
• January 15, 2004

Personnel and Education Committee Meeting

• April 17, 2013 (Minutes will be posted as soon as they are available.)
• February 19, 2012
• October 17, 2012
• July 18, 2012
• April 18, 2012
• January 18, 2012
• October 12, 2011
• July 13, 2011
• April 13, 2011
• January 12, 2011
• October 13, 2010
• July 14, 2010
• April 14, 2010
• January 13, 2010
• October 14, 2009
• July 15, 2009
• April 15, 2009
• January 14, 2009
• October 8, 2008
• July 9, 2008
• April 9, 2008
• January 9, 2008
• October 10, 2007
• July 11, 2007
• April 11, 2007
• January 25, 2007
• October 11, 2006
• July 12, 2006
• April 12, 2006
• January 11, 2006
• October 12, 2005
• July 13, 2005
• April 13, 2005
• January 12, 2005
• October 13, 2004
• July 14, 2004
• April 14, 2004
• January 14, 2004

Practitioner Profiles

Information Required to be Reported on Practitioner Profiles

To view your current profile, please go to http://health.state.tn.us/Licensure/Default.aspx and enter your license number and profession, then click on the Practitioner Profile link.

To make changes to your profile, you can go to http://health.state.tn.us/Downloads/PH-3585.pdf and fill in the changes, print the document and mail to the appropriate board.

The professions required to submit and maintain a practitioner profile questionnaire are:

Tennessee Code Annotated Title 63 Chapter 51 requires the following information to be reported to the Board for dissemination to the public on practitioner profiles:

• The location of the licensee's primary practice setting;
• A description of any criminal convictions for felonies and, as determined by the board, serious misdemeanors, within the most recent ten (10) years. For the purposes of this subsection (a), a person shall be deemed to be convicted of a crime if such person was found or adjudged guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Misdemeanor convictions later expunged by a court of competent jurisdiction shall be stricken from the provider's profile;
• A description of any final board disciplinary actions within the most recent ten (10) years, which actions shall include final board action as defined by § 4-5-314, and reprimand action taken pursuant to a board practice act;
• A description of any final disciplinary actions of licensing boards in other states within the most recent ten (10) years;
• A description of revocation or involuntary restrictions of hospital privileges for reasons related to competence or character that has been taken by the hospital’s governing body or any other official action of the hospital after procedural due process has been afforded, or the resignation from or nonrenewal of medical staff membership or the restriction orf privileges as a hospital taken in lieu of or in settlement or a pending disciplinary case related to competence or character in that hospital, all as taken pursuant to procedures promulgated by the board for licensing health care facilities.  Only cases that have occurred within the most recent ten (10) years shall be disclosed by the department to the public;
• All medical malpractice court judgments, all medical malpractice arbitration awards in which a payment is awarded to a complaining party and all settlements of medical malpractice claims in which a payment is made to a complaining party beginning with reports for 1998 and each subsequent year; provided, such reports shall not be disseminated beyond the most recent ten-year period, but shall include the most recent ten-year period for which reports have been filed. Each provider licensing board shall set by rule adopted pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, a threshold amount below which judgments or settlements shall not be reportable; provided, such threshold shall, for chapter 6 or 9 of this title licensees, be set at seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000), for doctors of chiropractic, regulated pursuant to chapter 4 of this title, be set at fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), for dentists, regulated pursuant to chapter 5 of this title, be set at twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), and for all other licensees under this title be set at ten thousand dollars ($10,000). Dispositions of paid claims shall be reported in a minimum of three (3) graduated categories indicating the level of significance of the award or settlement. Information concerning paid medical malpractice claims shall be put in context by comparing an individual licensee's medical malpractice judgment awards and settlements to the experience of other providers within the same specialty. Information concerning the existence of a court-sealed settlement shall be reported in cases involving such a settlement. Information concerning all settlements shall be accompanied by the following statement: “Settlement of a claim may occur for a variety of reasons which do not necessarily reflect negatively on the professional competence or conduct of the provider. A payment in settlement of a medical malpractice action or claim should not be construed as creating a presumption that medical malpractice has occurred.” (Pending malpractice claims shall not be disclosed by a board to the public.);
• Names of medical schools or professional and training schools and dates of graduation;    
• Graduate medical education or other graduate-level training;
• Specialty board certification as determined by the relevant board;
• Names of the hospitals where the licensee has privileges;
• The location of the licensee's primary practice setting;
• The identification of any translating services that may be available at the licensee's primary practice location;
• An indication of which managed care plans in which the licensee participates;
• An indication of TennCare plans in which the licensee participates;
• Appointments to medical school faculties and indication as to whether a licensee has a responsibility for graduate medical education within the most recent ten (10) years; (optional)
• Information regarding publications in peer-reviewed medical literature; (optional) and
• Information regarding professional or community service associations, activities and awards; (optional)

National Organization

National Organizations of State Boards

A downloadable PDF of the certifying agencies may be obtained by clicking here.