By Sean Orr, M.D. | June 20, 2026 | Florida Doctor Magazine
A 72-year-old retired teacher sits across from you in clinic. Her right hand trembles against her lap. You work through the differential, order the DaTscan, and three weeks later you confirm Parkinson’s disease. Until now, that diagnosis stayed between you, your patient, and whoever she chose to tell. Starting January 1, 2027, a new state law says it goes somewhere else, too.
Governor DeSantis signed HB 1443 on March 30, 2026, making Florida one of a small but growing number of states that require physicians to report Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonism diagnoses to a centralized registry. The law passed both chambers unanimously: 107-0 in the House and 32-0 in the Senate. It takes effect July 1, 2026, with the actual reporting mandate kicking in on January 1, 2027.
Here is what the law says, what it means for your practice, and what you should be doing now to prepare.
What the Law Requires
HB 1443, sponsored by Rep. Busatta with companion bill SB 1684 from Sen. Calatayud, creates a statewide Parkinson’s disease registry housed at the Florida Institute for Parkinson’s Disease within the University of South Florida. Every allopathic physician, osteopathic physician, and advanced practice registered nurse licensed in Florida who diagnoses or treats a patient with Parkinson’s disease or atypical parkinsonism must report “nationally recognized Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonism performance measures” to this registry.
The word “treats” matters. If you are a primary care physician managing a Parkinson’s patient’s medication regimen, you are covered by this law. If you are a neurologist confirming a diagnosis, you are covered. If you are an APRN in a movement disorders clinic adjusting carbidopa-levodopa dosing, you are covered. The mandate is broad by design.
The registry itself will be contracted out to a private entity operating a nationally recognized platform, under the oversight of the Parkinson’s Disease Research Board. That board is getting restructured, too: new legislative appointees from the Senate President and House Speaker, three-year terms instead of four, and a requirement that members have specific experience as movement disorder specialists or in population health research.
Beginning January 1, 2028, USF must launch a public website with downloadable annual reports on incidence and prevalence data. By October 15, 2028, the Board must start submitting annual reports to the Governor, Senate President, and Speaker with county-level breakdowns of disease incidence, demographic data, and total registry participation.
Why Florida Needs This Registry
There is no national Parkinson’s disease registry. That is the baseline fact that makes state-level action necessary. Without population-level data, epidemiologists and public health officials are working from estimates and insurance claims. The picture is incomplete, and in Florida, that gap is especially problematic.
Florida carries one of the heaviest Parkinson’s burdens in the country. The state’s age-adjusted prevalence rate for Parkinson’s among Medicare beneficiaries is 38% higher than California’s, according to published analyses of Medicare data. A 2022 Parkinson’s Foundation study revised national incidence estimates sharply upward, finding that nearly 90,000 Americans receive a new Parkinson’s diagnosis each year, a 50% jump from the previously cited figure of 60,000. Florida, with its older population and established position as a retirement destination, almost certainly represents a disproportionate share of that total. We just cannot say how much, because the data does not exist yet.
The registry is designed to change that. County-level incidence data could reveal geographic clusters. Demographic breakdowns could expose disparities in diagnosis rates across race, age, and sex. Performance measure tracking could identify where care aligns with national guidelines and where it falls short. For a state that is home to one of the nation’s largest Parkinson’s populations, having no registry until now was a blind spot.
Privacy and Liability Protections
The companion bill, HB 1445, makes the registry data confidential and exempt from Florida’s public records laws. Patient-identifying information can only be disclosed to the Parkinson’s Disease Research Board and to the contracted private entity maintaining the registry, and that entity is prohibited from contacting any patient, directly or indirectly, for any purpose.
Physicians and APRNs who report in good faith are shielded from liability. The law is explicit: no damages claim and no disciplinary action can arise solely from submitting information to the registry as required. That protection matters. Mandatory reporting regimes create anxiety when physicians worry that data they submit could be subpoenaed, misinterpreted, or weaponized in malpractice litigation. The legislature anticipated that concern and addressed it.
HIPAA compliance is built into the structure. The registry operates as a public health authority activity, which is a recognized exception under HIPAA’s Privacy Rule for disclosures required by state law. You do not need a patient authorization or a signed release to report. The data flows through the same legal framework that already governs cancer registries and communicable disease reporting.
What Florida Physicians Should Do Now
- Identify your Parkinson’s patient panel. Pull a list of every patient in your practice with a Parkinson’s disease or atypical parkinsonism diagnosis. Know how many patients this mandate affects for your practice specifically.
- Watch for reporting specifications. The law references “nationally recognized performance measures,” but the specific data elements, reporting format, and submission platform have not been finalized. USF and the Parkinson’s Disease Research Board will define these in the coming months. Monitor the Florida Institute for Parkinson’s Disease website at USF for updates.
- Talk to your EHR vendor. Once the reporting specifications are published, your EHR will need a workflow to capture and transmit the required data. Start that conversation early. Practices that waited until the last minute for Meaningful Use and MIPS reporting requirements remember how painful retroactive implementation can be.
- Brief your compliance team. If you work in a group practice or health system, make sure your compliance officer and practice administrator know this is coming. The reporting start date is January 1, 2027. That is six months away.
- Engage with the Florida Medical Association. The FMA will be tracking the regulatory implementation and advocating for reasonable reporting standards. If you have concerns about the reporting burden, the time to raise them is during the rulemaking process, not after the deadline passes.
The Bigger Picture
This law passed unanimously. That fact alone is worth pausing on. In a legislature that fights bitterly over scope of practice, Medicaid expansion, and telehealth regulation, a new mandatory reporting requirement for physicians sailed through without a single dissenting vote. The political will behind Parkinson’s research in Florida is real, and it reflects both the scale of the disease burden and the advocacy work of patient organizations and research institutions like USF’s Institute.
For physicians, the question is whether we shape the implementation or simply absorb it. Disease registries can be powerful research tools that improve care, or they can become another unfunded documentation mandate that consumes clinical time without returning value to the clinicians who feed them. The difference between those two outcomes depends on whether physicians are at the table when the reporting standards are written. USF is building this registry. The Board is being reconstituted. The performance measures are being selected. If you treat Parkinson’s patients in Florida, this is your registry, and the next six months will determine whether it works for you or just adds another task to your day.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does mandatory Parkinson’s disease reporting begin in Florida?
The law (HB 1443) takes effect July 1, 2026, but the actual reporting mandate begins January 1, 2027. Physicians and APRNs who diagnose or treat Parkinson’s disease or atypical parkinsonism must report nationally recognized performance measures to the statewide registry maintained by USF.
Who is required to report to the Florida Parkinson’s disease registry?
All allopathic physicians (MDs), osteopathic physicians (DOs), and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) licensed in Florida who diagnose or treat patients with Parkinson’s disease or atypical parkinsonism are required to report. This includes neurologists, primary care physicians managing PD patients, and APRNs in movement disorder clinics.
Are Florida physicians protected from liability for reporting to the registry?
Yes. HB 1443 explicitly provides that a physician or APRN who reports in good faith cannot face damages claims or disciplinary action solely for submitting information to the registry. The companion bill (HB 1445) also makes registry data confidential and exempt from public records disclosure.
Does reporting to the Parkinson’s registry require patient consent under HIPAA?
No. Mandatory disease reporting is a recognized public health authority activity under HIPAA’s Privacy Rule. Physicians may disclose the required information without obtaining a patient authorization or signed release, just as they do for cancer registries and communicable disease reporting.
What information will Florida physicians need to report to the Parkinson’s registry?
The law requires reporting of “nationally recognized Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonism performance measures.” The specific data elements, reporting format, and submission platform will be determined by USF’s Florida Institute for Parkinson’s Disease and the Parkinson’s Disease Research Board. Those specifications are expected in the coming months.
Hero image: illustration created with AI image tools.