Carriers Say Policy Improperly Requires That They Approve Physician Dispensing

A group of Florida carriers is challenging the legitimacy of a state policy they claim improperly requires them to authorize physicians and other providers to dispense medications to injured workers. The carriers said in a challenge filed last week with the Division of Administrative Hearings that the Division of Workers’ Compensation is enforcing a two-year-old unadopted rule. The DWC said in a March 31, 2020, bulletin that payers are not allowed to deny authorization for prescription drugs solely because they were dispensed by the treating physician. Injured workers have the right t...