(a) A direct medical care agreement is not insurance and is not subject to regulation by the department of commerce and insurance.
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 63-1-504
Direct medical care agreement: means a written contractual agreement between a direct medical care provider and an individual patient, or the patient's legal representative, in which: (A) The direct medical care provider agrees to provide medical care services to the individual patient for an agreed fee over an agreed period of time. See Tennessee Code 63-1-502
written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) Entering into a direct medical care agreement is not the business of insurance and is not subject to regulation under title 56.(c) A direct medical care provider, or the agent of a direct medical care provider, is not required to obtain a certification of authority or license under the Tennessee Insurance Producer Licensing Act of 2002, compiled in title 56, chapter 6, to market, sell, or offer to sell a direct medical care agreement.(d) A direct medical care agreement is not a discount medical plan.(e) A direct medical care agreement must:
(1) Allow either party to terminate the agreement upon written notice to the other party;(2) Provide that fees are not earned by the direct medical care provider until the month paid by the periodic fee has been completed; and(3) Provide that, upon termination of this agreement by the individual patient, all unearned fees are to be returned to the patient.
