This week’s edition of WorkCompRecap leads with major news from the Lone Star State. The widely anticipated Emergency Rules regarding the Pharmacy Fee Schedule were published by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation. The memo from Christopher Bean, Workers’ Compensation Counsel Section Chief can be accessed by clicking here. The actual rule can also be accessed by clicking here. The link to the Texas Department of Insurance “Adopted Rules” page, which also contains their disclaimer and a suggestion to access the final version of the rules at the Texas Register, Office of Secretary of State, can be accessed by clicking here.
While these rules provide a temporary reprieve for the PBM industry, effective January 1, 2011, all other “voluntary” and “informal networks” must either be dissolved or certified as a workers’ compensation network under Texas Insurance Code 1305. These changes, along with some of the collateral damage to existing specialty programs caused by the legislation, will probably reverberate through the Texas workers’ compensation system for the foreseeable future.
You can read the rest of today’s news at WorkCompWire.com, and revisit the Top Stories from last week by clicking on the individually linked stories below.
Have a good week.
Sincerely,
Patrick J. Sullivan
Managing Editor
WorkCompWire
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