What should a life sciences company look for in T&E software?
Meals with healthcare professionals carry the rules here, and conference travel carries the cost. Four things matter.
| What you need | Why | In ExpenseOS |
|---|---|---|
| Meals with healthcare professionals inside the codes | The PhRMA Code bars alcohol at speaker programs and keeps meals modest and occasional; the AdvaMed Code allows modest meals subordinate to a presentation and bans entertainment and gifts. | The pack caps them at $50 for breakfast, $65 for lunch and $150 for dinner a person, tax, tip and drinks included, with no alcohol, entertainment or gifts. |
| A record of everyone who ate | Open Payments values each covered recipient's share of a meal by dividing the cost by everyone who ate; in 2026 a share of $13.82 or more is reported, and every share once a recipient passes $138.13 for the year (CMS). | Everyone who ate is listed on the expense, staff included, with each prescriber's NPI or license and the receipt kept beside it. |
| Long flights to trial sites and conferences | Conference cities run well above the national hotel rate: $333.71 a night in New York in 2025 against $160.54 for the US (CoStar). | Premium economy on flights over 6 hours (Economy on trips charged to a federal contract or grant), and hotel caps at each conference city's market rate this week plus 20%. |
| An answer before the money moves | OIG's 2020 Special Fraud Alert lists alcohol, meals beyond modest value and entertainment venues among the suspect characteristics of speaker programs. | Every request is answered against the policy before the meal or the trip, and anything over goes to a person with the reason. |
The rules that apply to life sciences
What each rule requires, and what it means for a travel and expense policy.
| Rule | What it requires | What it means for your policy |
|---|---|---|
| CMS Open Payments (Physician Payments Sunshine Act) | Applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations report payments, food and beverage included, to physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other advanced practice providers, and teaching hospitals. In 2026 a payment under $13.82 is excluded unless the recipient's total passes $138.13 ($14.31 and $143.01 in 2027). | Log every meal with a covered recipient, whatever it costs. |
| Group meals, 42 CFR 403.904(g) | The cost of a group meal is divided by everyone who ate, covered or not, and the per-person value is reported for each covered recipient who ate. | List everyone who ate, including staff, not just the prescribers. |
| PhRMA Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals (2022) | At speaker programs: no alcohol; no high-end restaurants, luxury resorts or entertainment venues; no repeat attendees; meals modest and occasional. | No alcohol with healthcare professionals, and modest venues. |
| AdvaMed Code of Ethics (2023) | Modest, occasional meals subordinate to a bona fide presentation, only for healthcare professionals who attend; no entertainment or recreation in any form; no gifts, branded items included. Companies are encouraged to set a per-meal limit. | Set a per-person meal limit, and no entertainment. |
| OIG Special Fraud Alert: Speaker Programs (2020) | Suspect characteristics include alcohol, meals beyond modest value, venues not suited to education and repeat attendees. | Treat each one as a red flag. |
| Vermont, 18 V.S.A. § 4631a | Manufacturers of prescribed products may not give health care providers gifts, food included, except listed allowable expenditures such as meals for all participants at a sponsored conference. Up to $10,000 a violation. | No meals for Vermont providers outside the exceptions. |
| Minnesota Stat. § 151.461 | Drug manufacturers and wholesalers may not give practitioners gifts worth more than $50 in total in a calendar year. | Count each Minnesota practitioner's yearly total. |
| New Jersey, N.J.A.C. 13:45J | Modest meals for prescribers are capped per meal and indexed each year: $19 for breakfast or lunch and $40 for dinner in 2024. | Check the year's caps for New Jersey prescribers. |
2026 market benchmarks for life sciences
Published figures to measure a travel and expense policy against.
| Benchmark | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average company caps for meals with healthcare professionals, 2025 | $50 breakfast, $65 lunch, $150 dinner per person | 2025 Pharma Forum Benchmarking Report, via BioXconomy |
| Companies whose meal cap includes tax and service | 74% | 2025 Pharma Forum Benchmarking Report, via BioXconomy |
| Open Payments thresholds, 2026 | $13.82 a payment; $138.13 a year | CMS |
| New York hotel average daily rate, 2025 | $333.71 a night | CoStar |
| US hotel average daily rate, 2025 | $160.54 a night | CoStar |
| Domestic round trip sold through travel agencies, June 2026 | Economy $573, premium cabins $1,423 | ARC |
The life sciences policy pack
On day one, a company starts from the pack for its industry. This one is for biotech, pharma and medical device teams: long flights to trial sites and conferences, and meals with healthcare professionals that codes and laws limit. Each category starts with a limit and a rule.
Airfare$1,800 a round tripPremium economy on flights over 6 hours, and Economy on trips charged to a federal contract or grant. 14 days ahead when you can (21 for international).
LodgingMarket rate + 20%Each city's market rate this week plus 20%, for conference hotels near the venue, or $375 a night where there's no market data. The itemized hotel bill for every stay.
Ground transport$100 a tripRideshare or transit before a rental car, and rental cars mid-size or smaller. A receipt over $75.
Meals$90 a dayWhat you spend on nights away, with the itemized receipt for meals of $25 or more. Never alcohol at a meal with healthcare professionals.
Meals with healthcare professionals$150 a personBreakfast $50, lunch $65 and dinner $150 a person, including tax, tip and drinks. No alcohol, entertainment, gifts, spouses or guests. List everyone who ate, staff included, with each prescriber's NPI or license.
Events and ticketsNo limitNever with healthcare professionals. Anything else needs a manager's OK first, and is coded apart from meals.
Gifts$25 a person a yearThe most that's tax-deductible, and never to healthcare professionals.
Software$300 a monthA manager approves any charge over $500, a year's plan included. Tools that hold GxP, quality or trial data need QA and IT review first.
Equipment$2,000 an itemIT approves computers, phones and tablets first and tags them. Lab instruments go through Procurement.
Client travelPer clientA starting policy for each client you bill travel to: premium economy up to $1,800, hotels at the market rate plus 20%, meals $90 a day, and Economy on trips charged to federal contracts or grants.
Every line is a starting point. Admins change limits on screen or in a sentence, and ExpenseOS shows every change it would make before anything applies. From then on, every request is answered against the policy before the money moves, with the rule named, and anything out of policy goes to a person with the reason.
Questions life sciences teams ask
What should a life sciences company look for in travel and expense software?
Checks before the money moves on meals with healthcare professionals, a record of everyone who ate, room for the state rules of the prescriber's state, and travel policies for long flights to trial sites and conferences. ExpenseOS starts biotech, pharma and medical device companies from a policy pack built for that work and answers every request against it, with the rule named.
Do meals with doctors have to be reported under the Sunshine Act?
If your company is an applicable manufacturer or group purchasing organization, yes, above the thresholds: in 2026, any meal share of $13.82 or more, and every share once a recipient passes $138.13 for the year ($14.31 and $143.01 in 2027). Covered recipients include physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other advanced practice providers, and teaching hospitals. The cost of a group meal is divided by everyone who ate.
Is alcohol allowed at meals with healthcare professionals?
Not at speaker programs under the PhRMA Code since 2022, and OIG's 2020 Special Fraud Alert treats alcohol at speaker programs as a suspect characteristic. The AdvaMed Code bans entertainment and gifts outright. The safe default is no alcohol at any meal with healthcare professionals.
Which states limit meals with prescribers?
Vermont bans most gifts and meals from manufacturers of prescribed products to health care providers. Minnesota caps gifts to practitioners from drug manufacturers and wholesalers at $50 a year. New Jersey caps modest meals per prescriber and indexes the caps each year ($19 for breakfast or lunch and $40 for dinner in 2024). Massachusetts and California have their own rules and disclosure requirements.
What do companies cap meals with healthcare professionals at?
The 2025 Pharma Forum benchmarking report put average company caps at $50 for breakfast, $65 for lunch and $150 for dinner per person, with 74% of respondents including tax and service in the cap. The life sciences pack starts from the same figures, tax, tip and drinks included.
How does ExpenseOS handle meals with healthcare professionals?
The life sciences pack gives them a category of their own, capped at $50 for breakfast, $65 for lunch and $150 for dinner a person, tax, tip and drinks included, with no alcohol, entertainment, gifts, spouses or guests. Everyone who ate is listed, staff included, with the receipt, and every request is answered against your policy before the money moves. Your compliance team changes any limit on screen or in a sentence.
Related
Start from the life sciences pack.
A short walkthrough mapped to your policy: what the pack sets up, what you would change, and how every request is answered before the money moves.
Sources
- CMS Open Payments (Physician Payments Sunshine Act)
- Group meals, 42 CFR 403.904(g)
- PhRMA Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals (2022)
- AdvaMed Code of Ethics (2023)
- OIG Special Fraud Alert: Speaker Programs (2020)
- Vermont, 18 V.S.A. § 4631a
- Minnesota Stat. § 151.461
- New Jersey, N.J.A.C. 13:45J
- 2025 Pharma Forum Benchmarking Report, via BioXconomy
- CoStar
- ARC
Rules and figures as published on 1 November 2026. This page summarizes public rules and published figures for general information; it is not legal or tax advice.