Section 4600.2 Of Article 2. Medical And Hospital Treatment From California Labor Code >> Division 4. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.
4600.2
. (a) Notwithstanding Section 4600, if a self-insured
employer, group of self-insured employers, insurer of an employer, or
group of insurers contracts with a pharmacy, group of pharmacies, or
pharmacy benefit network to provide medicines and medical supplies
required by this article to be provided to injured employees, those
injured employees that are subject to the contract shall be provided
medicines and medical supplies in the manner prescribed in the
contract for as long as medicines or medical supplies are reasonably
required to cure or relieve the injured employee from the effects of
the injury. Medicines provided pursuant to the contract shall be
subject to the drug formulary adopted by the administrative director
pursuant to Section 5307.27, and such contracts may not limit the
availability of medications otherwise prescribed pursuant to the
formulary based on whether the pharmacy services are provided within
or outside a medical provider network.
(b) Nothing in this section shall affect the ability of
employee-selected physicians to continue to prescribe and have the
employer provide medicines subject to the drug formulary and medical
supplies that the physicians deem reasonably required to cure or
relieve the injured employee from the effects of the injury.
(c) Each contract described in subdivision (a) shall comply with
standards adopted by the administrative director. In adopting those
standards, the administrative director shall seek to reduce
pharmaceutical costs and may consult any relevant studies or
practices in other states. The standards shall provide for access to
a pharmacy within a reasonable geographic distance from an injured
employee's residence.