Prescribing in the workers compensation industry is down across the board, including a 65.1% drop in the costs for compound medications, according to a report released Tuesday by Coventry Workers Comp.
The third in a series covering workers comp drug trends, Downers Grove, Illinois-based Coventry reported on the state of opioids and compound medication prescriptions for injured workers.
According to the report, aggregate trends include:
- Prescription costs per claim were down 10.9% in 2017 and overall utilization of prescribed medicine dipped 8%.
- Opioid costs per claim dipped 17.3% and opioid utilization dropped 13.2%.
- Compound costs per claim dipped 65.1% and utilization declined 67.3%.
Coventry attributed the declines to improved management of claims.
“Favorable declines in opioid utilization and cost were aided through patient and provider outreach programs, the use of risk-identification tools incorporating all sources of drug data, and key clinical programs focused on reducing opioid use,” the study states.
This article was first published by Business Insurance.
