(b) A contract between a pharmacy benefit manager and a pharmacy must allow for synchronization of prescription drug refills for a patient on at least one occasion per year, if the following criteria are met:
- (1) the prescription drugs are covered under the patient's health plan or have been approved by a formulary exceptions process;
- (2) the prescription drugs are maintenance medications as defined by the health plan and have one or more refills available at the time of synchronization;
- (3) the prescription drugs are not Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substances;
- (4) the patient meets all utilization management criteria relevant to the prescription drug at the time of synchronization;
- (5) the prescription drugs are of a formulation that can be safely split into short-fill periods to achieve synchronization; and
- (6) the prescription drugs do not have special handling or sourcing needs that require a single, designated pharmacy to fill or refill the prescription.