Quick Hits: Florida Physician News for June 16, 2026
Category: Quick Hits Slug: quick-hits-florida-physician-news-june-16-2026 Target Send: June 16, 2026
Five items moving through Florida medicine right now that affect how we practice. Each one has a date, a source, and a concrete thing for you to do or know about.
1. Florida hospitals are locking in $10 billion in Medicaid money before the federal window narrows
On April 30, 2026, the Legislature’s joint budget panel approved spending authority that lets AHCA push more than $10 billion to Florida hospitals serving Medicaid and uninsured patients: nearly $8 billion through the Direct Payment Program and another $2.17 billion in Low Income Pool grants. The authority applies to the current FY 2025-26 budget, which expires June 30, so the money is moving now. The urgency is federal: provisions in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act begin tightening state directed-payment arrangements in coming years, and Florida is locking in payments while the current rules still allow it. If you practice in or refer into a safety-net hospital, this is why your hospital partners are suddenly talking about supplemental payment timelines. Coverage at WUSF and the Florida Phoenix.
2. A unanimous Supreme Court decision is reshaping where Florida malpractice cases get filed
In Berk v. Choy, decided January 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court held that state affidavit-of-merit requirements do not apply in federal court because Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8 already defines what a complaint must contain. The case involved Delaware’s statute, but the Florida Bar Health Law Section’s May 2026 update flags the obvious next question: how much of Florida’s Chapter 766 presuit framework, including the corroborating expert opinion requirement, survives in federal diversity cases. Plaintiffs’ firms have noticed. Expect more Florida malpractice claims filed in federal court, where presuit expert certification may not be enforceable and formal discovery opens earlier. Worth a conversation with your carrier about how they are adjusting defense strategy. Analysis at the Florida Bar Health Law Section.
3. The PBM Drug Prices and Coverage Act takes effect July 1
Governor DeSantis signed the Drug Prices and Coverage Act on March 24, 2026, and its core provisions become effective July 1. The law tightens Florida’s regulation of pharmacy benefit managers, including reimbursement practices and the contractual terms PBMs can impose on pharmacies. For prescribers, the practical effects to watch are formulary churn and pharmacy network changes as PBMs adjust their Florida contracts to comply. If your patients use independent pharmacies, ask them in July whether anything changed in their fill experience; early reports will tell you whether the law is biting. Background at Akerman’s Health Law Rx.
4. VTE registry reporting starts July 1 for Florida hospitals and surgical centers
Under the Emily Adkins Family Protection Act, every Florida hospital with an emergency department and every ambulatory surgical center must begin reporting venous thromboembolism data to the new statewide registry on July 1, 2026, with quarterly submissions through a Department of Health portal. Facilities are also required to implement VTE risk-assessment protocols using nationally recognized tools. The registry is the first of its kind in the country, named for a 23-year-old Fernandina Beach woman who died of a pulmonary embolism in 2022. If you hold privileges at a hospital or operate in an ASC, expect your facility to ask for documentation changes this summer; the risk-assessment protocol requirement lands on the clinical side, not just the back office. Hospital FAQ at stoptheclot.org.
5. Memorial Healthcare and Florida Blue are still split as the standoff passes nine months
Memorial Healthcare System has been out of network with Florida Blue since September 1, 2025, and as of mid-June 2026 the main hospital, emergency, and physician contracts remain unresolved. The two ambulatory surgical centers that returned to network on March 1 (Cypress Creek Outpatient Surgical Center and South Broward Endoscopy) are still the only cracks in the standoff, and Memorial continues to cite more than $150 million in outstanding claims for care already provided to Florida Blue members. Florida Blue points to chemotherapy charge growth at Memorial as the rate dispute’s center of gravity. South Florida physicians referring into Memorial for anything beyond those two ASCs should keep verifying network status at the point of referral. Status page at floridablue.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Berk v. Choy mean for Florida physicians facing malpractice claims?
It means more malpractice suits against Florida physicians may be filed in federal court, where the Supreme Court has now held that state affidavit-of-merit filing requirements do not apply. Florida’s Chapter 766 presuit process still governs state-court cases, but its reach in federal diversity cases is now contested and will be litigated through 2026.
When does Florida’s new PBM law take effect and what should prescribers watch?
The Drug Prices and Coverage Act takes effect July 1, 2026. Watch for formulary changes, pharmacy network shifts, and altered reimbursement behavior as PBMs bring their Florida contracts into compliance during the second half of the year.
Which Florida facilities must report to the new VTE registry?
Every Florida hospital with an emergency department and every ambulatory surgical center must report VTE data quarterly to the statewide registry beginning July 1, 2026, and must implement VTE risk-assessment protocols using nationally recognized tools.
When does the CMS prior authorization drug rule comment window close?
The comment window for CMS-0062-P, which would extend prior authorization streamlining and electronic standards to Medicare drug authorizations, closes June 15, 2026. Comments are accepted at regulations.gov through that date; after it closes, CMS reviews the docket before issuing a final rule.
Is Memorial Healthcare back in network with Florida Blue?
No. As of June 2026, only Cypress Creek Outpatient Surgical Center and South Broward Endoscopy are in network. The hospitals, emergency departments, and employed physician group remain out of network, with no announced resolution date.