(a)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a covered entity may contract with a pharmacy to provide pharmacy services to patients of the covered entity, as defined in Section 256b of Title 42 of the United States Code, including dispensing preferentially priced drugs obtained pursuant to Section 256b of Title 42 of the United States Code. Contracts between those covered entities and pharmacies shall comply with guidelines published by the Health Resources and Services Administration and shall be available for inspection by board staff during normal business hours.
(b)
Drugs purchased pursuant to Section 256b of Title 42 of the United States Code and received by a pharmacy shall be segregated from the pharmacy’s other drug stock by either physical or electronic means. All records of acquisition and disposition of these drugs shall be readily retrievable in a form separate from the pharmacy’s other records.
(c)
Drugs obtained by a pharmacy to be dispensed to patients of a covered entity pursuant to Section 256b of Title 42 of the United States Code that cannot be distributed because of a change in circumstances for the covered entity or the pharmacy shall be returned to the distributor from which they were obtained. For the purposes of this section, a change in circumstances includes, but is not limited to, the termination or expiration of the contract between the pharmacy and the covered entity, the closure of a pharmacy, disciplinary action against the pharmacy, or closure of the covered entity.
(d)
A licensee that participates in a contract to dispense preferentially priced drugs pursuant to this section shall not have both a pharmacy and a wholesaler license.
(e)
Neither a covered entity nor a pharmacy shall be required to obtain a license as a wholesaler based on acts reasonably necessary to fully participate in the drug purchase program established by Section 256b of Title 42 of the United States Code.