Rep. Gerald McCormick said the Legislature may take action this session to give physicians more say-so at Erlanger Hospital.
The House majority leader from Hixson said, "With the recent financial losses at Erlanger, there is a desire on the part of the medical community to have more of a role at the hospital and to have more board representation."
The Hospital Authority Board includes 11 members with only one appointed by the Hamilton County Medical Society.
Rep. McCormick at the same time said the city of Chattanooga, which now has four appointees, may wind up with fewer members.
He said he would not want to see the city lose all its representation since the hospital is located within the city.
When the sales tax agreement between the city and county was still in place, Erlanger was getting $3 million from the county. With the lapse of the sales tax agreement, the county dropped its contribution to $1.5 million. Richard Beeland of the mayor's office said the city had never contributed to Erlanger.
Rep. McCormick said there may also be additional involvement at the hospital of the University of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee College of Medicine is at Erlanger, providing a number of interns and physician teaching opportunities.
However, he said he would not favor turning over Erlanger to the university. UT operates the University Medical Center in Knoxville.
Rep. McCormick said he and Senator Andy Berke have taken preliminary steps on a Hospital Authority bill, but nothing has been filed yet.
He said there may be initial changes this session - including giving the doctors more board involvement - and possible major changes the following year.
The county has four appointees, the legislative delegation has one and the two chancellors have one.