FLORIDA - HOSPITAL MANDATORY REPORTING GUIDE
Florida — Hospital Mandatory Reporting Guide
Category 1 — Adverse Events
State-defined adverse events / serious reportable events (State determined list approach per OIG; confirm current state list).
Who Must Report: Licensed hospitals.
Deadline: Varies by system.
Destination: Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
Citation: Source.
Attorney Notes: Mandatory reporting creates an external audit trail; non-reporting supports regulatory-noncompliance arguments.
Category 2 — Child Abuse / Neglect
Trigger: Knowledge or reasonable suspicion.
Who Must Report: Any person (universal reporting).
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: Florida Abuse Hotline.
Citation: Fla. Stat. § 39.201.
Attorney Notes: Universal duty defeats “not my role” defenses.
Category 3 — Weapon Injuries
Trigger: Treatment of gunshot or knife wound.
Who Must Report: Physicians, hospitals.
Deadline: Immediately.
Destination: Local law enforcement.
Citation: Fla. Stat. § 790.24.
Attorney Notes: Failure may constitute offense.
Category 4 — Communicable Diseases
Trigger: Diagnosis, suspicion, or lab identification of a reportable disease.
Who Must Report: Healthcare providers and/or laboratories.
Deadline: Immediate/24 hours for urgent diseases; longer for others.
Destination: Local/state health department per Florida DOH guidance.
Citation: Florida DOH – Reporting Guidance.
Attorney Notes: Time classes support compliance evaluation; timestamps support outbreak-control arguments.
Category 5 — Complaints / Investigations
Timeline: Florida law authorizes complaint investigations but does not mandate a statutory start‑time.
Citation: Complaint authority exists; no statutory start‑time requirement.
Attorney Notes: Attorneys should distinguish between internal hospital reporting deadlines and state investigation requirements.