(1) If an insurer utilizes the services of a third-party administrator, the insurer shall be responsible for determining the benefits, premium rates, underwriting criteria, and claims-payment procedures and for securing reinsurance, if any. The rules pertaining to these matters shall be provided, in writing, by the insurer to the third-party administrator. The responsibilities of the third-party administrator as to any of these matters shall be set forth in the written agreement between the third-party administrator and the insurer.
(2) It shall be the sole responsibility of the insurer to provide for competent administration of its programs.
(3) In cases when a third-party administrator administers benefits for more than one hundred certificate holders or subscribers on behalf of an insurer, the insurer shall, at least semiannually, conduct a review of the operations of the third-party administrator. At least one such review shall be an onsite audit of the operations of the third-party administrator.