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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana House Bill 197 regulates artificial intelligence use by healthcare providers and sets penalties up to $10,000
Last action · March 9, 2026: Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.Sponsor: Jessica Domangue
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What This Bill Proposed
Louisiana House Bill 197 permits healthcare providers to use strictly for administrative and analytical tasks such as scheduling, billing, and recordkeeping. The measure explicitly prohibits using AI to independently diagnose patients, generate treatment plans, or communicate directly with patients without licensed professional review. Providers violating these rules face civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation enforced by the Louisiana Department of Health.
The measure establishes the legal boundaries for how medical offices and facilities in Louisiana may implement automated software and algorithms, creating financial liability for unauthorized clinical use.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Healthcare providers
Healthcare providers must comply with new operational boundaries regarding artificial intelligence tools and face financial penalties up to $10,000 per violation.
Healthcare professionals
Licensed healthcare professionals are required to review and approve any AI-generated diagnoses, treatment plans, or patient communications.
Louisiana Department of Health
The department is tasked with investigating complaints, referring violations to licensing boards, collecting civil penalties, and promulgating rules.
Key Facts
- Healthcare providers are authorized to use artificial intelligence for administrative and analytical tasks including preparing client records, managing appointment scheduling, processing billing, analyzing anonymized data, organizing external resources, and drafting general communications without therapeutic advice.
- Artificial intelligence is strictly prohibited from making treatment or diagnosis decisions, interacting directly with patients in any communication form, or generating therapeutic recommendations without review and approval by a licensed healthcare professional.
- Violations of the artificial intelligence restrictions carry a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 per violation, payable to the Louisiana Department of Health.
- The Louisiana Department of Health is authorized to investigate complaints of actual, alleged, or suspected violations by healthcare providers.
Show all 6 facts
- The Louisiana Department of Health may refer complaints of violations to the appropriate licensing board or agency with jurisdiction over the provider.
- The Louisiana Department of Health is mandated to promulgate rules to implement the provisions of the section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What administrative tasks can healthcare providers use AI for under House Bill 197?
Can an AI system directly message a patient or diagnose a condition?
What is the penalty if a healthcare provider violates these AI regulations?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
- Feb 20, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/20/2026.
- Feb 18, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 18, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of AI Oversight in Healthcare
The bill represents a formal statutory boundary separating administrative automation from clinical decision-making in medical practice.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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