Florida Senate - 2026                                     SB 596
       
       
        
       By Senator Garcia
       
       
       
       
       
       36-00967-26                                            2026596__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to transparency in health care;
    3         creating s. 456.0525, F.S.; defining the term
    4         “personal benefit”; requiring health care
    5         practitioners to report any personal benefit received
    6         from a pharmaceutical company to the Department of
    7         Health; requiring that such reports be updated at
    8         least quarterly and include certain information;
    9         requiring the department to establish uniform
   10         reporting procedures and a publicly accessible online
   11         database for the reports; providing requirements for
   12         the database; requiring the department to establish
   13         certain guidelines for health care practitioners;
   14         requiring the Auditor General to perform annual audits
   15         for specified purposes; providing for administrative
   16         and criminal penalties; providing an effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Section 456.0525, Florida Statutes, is created
   21  to read:
   22         456.0525 Disclosure of personal benefits received from
   23  pharmaceutical companies.—
   24         (1) As used in this section, the term “personal benefit”
   25  means any benefit or advantage, economic or noneconomic,
   26  received outside of the context of a health care practitioner
   27  patient relationship. The term includes, but is not limited to,
   28  investment interests, gifts, financial incentives, kickback
   29  fees, speaking fees, sponsored travel, research funding, free
   30  samples, and any other form of compensation.
   31         (2) To promote transparency, accountability, and public
   32  trust in health care in this state, each health care
   33  practitioner shall report to the department any personal benefit
   34  received from a pharmaceutical company. Reports must be updated
   35  at least quarterly and include, at a minimum, details regarding
   36  the nature, value, and purpose of any personal benefit received.
   37         (3) The department shall establish uniform reporting
   38  procedures and a publicly accessible online database to maintain
   39  the reports. The database must allow members of the public to
   40  easily search by the name of a health care practitioner or
   41  pharmaceutical company and the type of personal benefit
   42  received.
   43         (4) The department shall establish guidelines for health
   44  care practitioners relating to ethical practices when engaging
   45  with pharmaceutical companies.
   46         (5) The Auditor General shall perform annual audits to
   47  monitor compliance with this section, verify the accuracy of
   48  reported data, and address any conflicts of interest.
   49         (6) A violation of this section is grounds for disciplinary
   50  action by the applicable board. A second or subsequent violation
   51  of this section constitutes a misdemeanor of the first degree,
   52  punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
   53         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.