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HB372 • 2026

HEALTH CARE PROVIDER REFERRALS

An Act relating to financial relationships between referring health care providers and providers of health care services.

Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY
Last action
2026-02-23
Official status
(H) L&C
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements.

Health Care Provider Referrals

This act requires health care providers to report financial relationships and patient referrals related to specific services, supplies, or equipment to the commissioner of health.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires licensed health care providers who refer patients for certain services to report their financial relationships with service providers to the commissioner of health by September 1, 2026.
  • Requires reporting on patient referrals made in fiscal year 2026 and the names of service providers to whom patients were referred.
  • Requires service providers offering specific clinical laboratory services, physical therapy, radiology, home health services, durable medical equipment, parenteral and enteral nutrients, prosthetics, outpatient prescription drugs, and hospital services to report billed amounts for these services provided to referred patients in fiscal year 2026.
  • Confidentially protects personally identifying information reported under this act from public record requests.
  • Directs the commissioner of health to prepare a report on patient referrals and billing amounts by September 1, 2027.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Licensed health care providers who refer patients for specific services.
  • Service providers offering clinical laboratory services, physical therapy, radiology, home health services, durable medical equipment, parenteral and enteral nutrients, prosthetics, outpatient prescription drugs, and hospital services.
  • The commissioner of health responsible for collecting reports and preparing a legislative report.

Terms To Know

Financial relationship
A business or financial connection between two parties that could influence decisions about patient care.
Licensed practice
The legal authority to provide health care services based on professional qualifications and state regulations.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements.
  • Only applies to licensed health care providers in Alaska who refer patients for specific services, supplies, or equipment.
  • The effectiveness of the act depends on accurate reporting by all involved parties.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-23 1695

    (H) REFERRED TO LABOR & COMMERCE

  2. 2026-02-23 1695

    (H) L&C, FIN

  3. 2026-02-23 1695

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

HEALTH CARE PROVIDER REFERRALS
An Act relating to financial relationships between referring health care providers and providers of health care services.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB0372a -1- HB 372
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS1367\I

HOUSE BILL NO. 372

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVE GRAY

Introduced: 2/23/26
Referred: Labor and Commerce, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to financial relationships between referring health care providers and 1
providers of health care services." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 4
to read: 5
REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH: FINANCIAL 6
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN REFERRING HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND 7
PROVIDERS OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES. (a) On or before September 1, 2026, each 8
licensed health care provider in the state who, as part of their licensed practice, refers a patient 9
to receive any of the health care services, supplies, or equipment listed in (f) of this section 10
shall report to the commissioner of health, on a form provided by the commissioner, a 11
description of any financial relationship the referring health care provider has with 12
(1) a person that provides services, supplies, or equipment listed in (f) of this 13
section, if the referring health care provider refers patients to that person as part of their 14
34-LS1367\I
HB 372 -2- HB0372a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

licensed practice; 1
(2) an immediate family member of a person who provides services, supplies, 2
or equipment listed in (f) of this section, if the referring health care provider refers patients to 3
that person as part of their licensed practice; the information provided under this paragraph 4
must include the name of the immediate family member and the licensed health care 5
provider's name and professional license number. 6
(b) On or before September 1, 2026, each licensed health care provider in the state 7
who refers a patient for a health care service, supply, or piece of equipment listed in (f) of this 8
section shall report to the commissioner of health, on a form provided by the commissioner, 9
the number of patient referrals the health care provider made for the services, supplies, or 10
equipment and the name of the person to whom the health care provider referred the patient 11
for the service for fiscal year 2026. 12
(c) On or before September 1, 2026, each person who provides services, supplies, or 13
equipment listed in (f) of this section shall report to the commissioner of health, on a form 14
provided by the commissioner, the amount the person billed in fiscal year 2026 for each 15
health care service, supply, or piece of equipment listed in (f) of this section that the person 16
provided to a patient who was referred to the person by a licensed health care provider with 17
whom the person 18
(1) has a financial relationship or who has an immediate family member with 19
whom the referring health care provider has a financial relationship; 20
(2) has no financial relationship. 21
(d) A licensed health care provider who is subject to (a) and (b) of this section or a 22
person who is subject to (c) of this section shall provide any additional information to the 23
commissioner of health that the commissioner considers necessary to complete the report 24
authorized by sec. 2 of this Act. 25
(e) Any personally identifying information of patients, licensed health care providers, 26
or immediate family members of a person who provides services, supplies, or equipment 27
reported to the commissioner of health under this section is confidential and is not a public 28
record for purposes of AS 40.25.110 - 40.25.140. 29
(f) Patient referrals for the following services, supplies, or equipment must be 30
reported as provided under (a) - (c) of this section: 31
34-LS1367\I
HB0372a -3- HB 372
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(1) clinical laboratory services; 1
(2) physical therapy, occupational therapy, and outpatient speech-language 2
pathology services; 3
(3) radiology and diagnostic imaging services; 4
(4) radiation therapy services and supplies; 5
(5) durable medical equipment and supplies; 6
(6) parenteral and enteral nutrients, equipment, and supplies; 7
(7) prosthetics, orthotics, and prosthetic devices and supplies; 8
(8) home health services; 9
(9) outpatient prescription drugs; and 10
(10) inpatient and outpatient hospital services. 11
* Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 12
read: 13
REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE: FINANCIAL INTERESTS IN SERVICES. (a) 14
The commissioner of health shall prepare a report examining the frequency at which health 15
care providers make patient referrals to a person who provides health care services, supplies, 16
or equipment and with whom the referring provider also has a financial relationship and 17
describing the amount billed for the referred services, supplies, or equipment. The 18
commissioner of health shall use the information reported under sec. 1 of this Act to prepare 19
the report. The report must include the following information for fiscal year 2026: 20
(1) the number of patient referrals made by each referring health care provider 21
for services, supplies, or equipment to be provided by a person with whom the referring health 22
care provider, or an immediate family member of the referring health care provider, has a 23
financial relationship, and the amount billed for each service, supply, or piece of equipment; 24
(2) the number of patient referrals made by each referring health care provider 25
for services, supplies, or equipment to be provided by a person with whom the referring health 26
care provider has no financial relationship, and the amount the provider of the services, 27
supplies, or equipment billed for each service, supply, or piece of equipment. 28
(b) Before the first day of the First Regular Session of the Thirty-Fifth Alaska State 29
Legislature, the commissioner of health shall deliver a copy of the report prepared under (a) 30
of this section to the senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives and 31
34-LS1367\I
HB 372 -4- HB0372a
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notify the legislature that the report is available. 1