Florida Statutes § 408.062

“Research, analyses, studies, and reports under the public health law”

The Department of Health must:

• Research and analyze:

• The financial status of any health care facility.
• The impact of uncompensated charity care on health care facilities and providers.
• The state’s role in assisting to fund indigent care.
• The availability and affordability of health insurance for small businesses.
• Total health care expenditures in Florida according to the sources of payment and the type of expenditure.
• The quality of health services.
• The development of physician information systems which are capable of providing data for health care consumers.
• The retail prices charged by pharmacies for the 100 most frequently prescribed medicines.
• The use of emergency department services by patient acuity level and the implication of increasing hospital cost by providing nonurgent care in emergency departments.

• Make available on its website of patient charge, volumes, length of stay, and performance indicators collected from health care facilities for specific medical conditions, surgeries and procedures.  
• Annually assess the caesarean section rate in hospitals and make the information known on its website.
• Develop and implement a strategy for the adoption and use of electronic health records, including the development of an electronic health information network for the sharing of electronic health records among health care facilities, providers, and health insurers. The Department may develop rules to facilitate the functionality and protect the confidentiality of electronic health records. The Department must report to the governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate on legislative recommendations to protect the confidentiality of electronic health records.