The number of injured workers using opioids has continued to decline, from 33.3% of all injured workers in 2020 to 30.3% in 2021, according to a report released Monday by Enlyte Group LLC subsidiary Mitchell International Inc.
In studying client data, Mitchell, which provides pharmacy benefits management and other services for employers and their injured workers, also found that claims with higher dosages of opioids — measured in morphine equivalent dosages of 90 milligrams or more — were down 13% in 2021.
The report also showed that more than half of the top 20 states ranked by low opioid prescription volume also experienced decreases in higher-dosage prescriptions in 2021.
Medicine-assisted opioid dependency treatment increased by 1.3% among injured workers, while overall dependency treatment trends remained flat, according to the report.
This article was first published in Business Insurance.
