It is the policy of the State of Oregon that a Practitioner-Managed Prescription Drug Plan will ensure that:
(1) Oregonians have access to the most effective prescription drugs appropriate for their clinical conditions;
(2) Decisions concerning the clinical effectiveness of prescription drugs are made by licensed health practitioners, are informed by the latest peer-reviewed research and consider the health condition of a patient or characteristics of a patient, including the patient’s gender, race or ethnicity; and
(3) The cost of prescription drugs in the medical assistance program is managed through market competition among pharmaceutical manufacturers by considering, first, the effectiveness and safety of a given drug and, second, any substantial cost differences between drugs within the same therapeutic class.