Georgia House Bill 1119 was introduced, which would restructure how prescription drugs are prescribed, dispensed, and reimbursed in the state’s workers' comp system.

Under the bill, payers would be able to direct injured workers to receive their prescriptions through pharmacy networks. Payers could also allow injured workers to receive their prescriptions from a pharmacy or provider of their choice, but the bill sets various rules around physician dispensing of medications.

Under the bill, physician-dispensed medications would:

• Require documentation of medical necessity
• Require prior authorization
• Be limited to a 30-day supply for any off-label medication
• Document considerations of commercially available drugs approved by the FDA and medical reasons for any compounded medication, with a limitation of a 90-day supply total and 30 day supply increment for such medications
• Be limited to a five-day supply for Schedule II or III drugs when prescribed within seven days of injury, with a 14-day limit for all other drugs prescribed within seven days of injury
• Be subject to new reimbursement rules

Initial prescriptions for physician-dispensed medications would be reimbursed at the fee schedule rate, but payers could then notify physicians that future prescriptions shall not be reimbursed, but this would require the payer to invite the physician into the pharmacy network, provided that requirements are met.

If enacted, this bill would go into effect January 1, 2027, repealing conflicting provisions of existing state laws.