THE BILL ITSELF
SB 596
Transparency in Health Care
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 596 By Senator Garcia 36-00967-26 2026596__
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A bill to be entitled
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An act relating to transparency in health care;
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creating s. 456.0525, F.S.; defining the term
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“personal benefit”; requiring health care
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practitioners to report any personal benefit received
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from a pharmaceutical company to the Department of
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Health; requiring that such reports be updated at
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least quarterly and include certain information;
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requiring the department to establish uniform
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reporting procedures and a publicly accessible online
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database for the reports; providing requirements for
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the database; requiring the department to establish
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certain guidelines for health care practitioners;
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requiring the Auditor General to perform annual audits
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for specified purposes; providing for administrative
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and criminal penalties; providing an effective date.
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Section 1. Section 456.0525, Florida Statutes, is created
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to read:
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456.0525 Disclosure of personal benefits received from
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pharmaceutical companies.—
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(1) As used in this section, the term “personal benefit”
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means any benefit or advantage, economic or noneconomic,
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received outside of the context of a health care practitioner
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patient relationship. The term includes, but is not limited to,
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investment interests, gifts, financial incentives, kickback
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fees, speaking fees, sponsored travel, research funding, free
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samples, and any other form of compensation.
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(2) To promote transparency, accountability, and public
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trust in health care in this state, each health care
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practitioner shall report to the department any personal benefit
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received from a pharmaceutical company. Reports must be updated
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at least quarterly and include, at a minimum, details regarding
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the nature, value, and purpose of any personal benefit received.
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(3) The department shall establish uniform reporting
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procedures and a publicly accessible online database to maintain
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the reports. The database must allow members of the public to
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easily search by the name of a health care practitioner or
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pharmaceutical company and the type of personal benefit
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received.
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(4) The department shall establish guidelines for health
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care practitioners relating to ethical practices when engaging
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with pharmaceutical companies.
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(5) The Auditor General shall perform annual audits to
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monitor compliance with this section, verify the accuracy of
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reported data, and address any conflicts of interest.
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(6) A violation of this section is grounds for disciplinary
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action by the applicable board. A second or subsequent violation
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of this section constitutes a misdemeanor of the first degree,
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punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
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Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.