The Florida Department of Insurance has notified 16 of the state of Florida’s HMOs that the organizations are being charged with not paying claims promptly as required by Florida Prompt Pay statutes. The notices are the result of an ongoing investigation that began in October 2001. It is important to note that there are only a total of 21 HMOs operating in Florida. Under current regulations, Florida HMOs have 35 days to pay a “clean” claim with late payers required to add an additional 10% to the bill. A detailed release from the Florida Department of Insurance is at www.doi.state.fl.us and includes a total of fines meted out by the state. Additional information is available at www.ama-assn.org. A recent statement by the President of the Florida Medical Association is available at www.fmaonline.org.