Potential Workers Compensation Cost Drivers- Private Label Topicals

We are seeing a trend in which doctors are increasingly prescribing private label topical drugs for the treatment of chronic pain. Awareness of these expensive and clinically unproven products is becoming increasingly important due to their potential safety and cost implications.

What are they?

Differing from custom compounds, private label topicals are similar to over-the-counter (OTC) topical products, with varying formulations that are not clinically tested for either safety or efficacy. Private-label topical analgesics are not recommended according to evidence-based guidelines and they are not approved by the FDA.

From a clinical perspective, private-label topicals offer no greater benefit to the patient than over-the-counter (OTC) alternatives found in national retail chains and in most cases they are significantly more expensive. The potential cost per prescription is disproportionately high with prices points upwards of several hundred dollars yet these drugs being dispensed by physicians and small, independent pharmacies for the treatment of pain when comparable OTC alternatives such as IcyHot® or BenGay typically retail for less than $10.

Curbing the Issue

When recommending any topical product, whether prescription or OTC, physicians must consider patient safety and evidence-based guidelines. More appropriate, less costly alternative treatment strategies may be available for the effective treatment of pain.  ANS Pharmacotherapy Review can help uncover and address private label drug prescription practices. For more information contact us today or visit www.ans-solutions.com.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/potential-workers-compensation-cost-drivers-private-label-topicals/

Innovating Clinical Intervention

The lack of communication among treating physicians for injured workers has been a known deficit in large loss claims for some time. Professional liability insurance companies have recently issued statements concerning the trend of incomplete patient information, missing tests and poor communication among physicians resulting in lengthier recoveries and costly medical treatment regimens.

Current clinical intervention programs embraced by the industry merely scratch the surface of success as they focus solely on a patient’s medication therapy. The reality is that in today’s landscape of multiple doctors and pharmacies, shortened appointments, and conflicting priorities, not all prescribers have the time to conduct an extensive review of a patient’s medical history. Critical factors that can change the trajectory of a claim may be missed such as:

• lab and diagnostic results;
• additional therapies may not have been tried;
• inconsistency in diagnosis between doctors and;
• high risk patient behavior could be present

Optimized Treatment Outcomes through Pharmacotherapy Review

Missed intervention opportunities such as those listed above result in a less than optimal treatment outcome and are often costly. Through the advanced clinical analytical capabilities of ANS nurse experts, our Pharmacotherapy Review program removes the blindfold and brings to light the patient’s full medical history and contributing health factors. The result delivers a complete view of the patient that informs accurate and impactful care decisions. Safety concerns most often uncovered include:

• Duplication of therapy
• Drug-Disease Interactions
• Lack of evidence for use of current treatment therapies
• High dose of medication(s)
• High incidence of side-effects
• Excessive duration of therapy
• Patient age concerns

Our unique Pharmacotherapy Review program provides a holistic clinical assessment to deliver informed and extremely detailed patient recommendations. Recommendations that benefit the outcome of large loss workers compensation claims for the injured worker and the payer alike. To find out more about our medical cost containment strategies contact us today at www.ans-solutions.com.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/innovating-clinical-intervention/

6 Ways Pain Management is Mismanaged

There is a significant body of evidence suggesting that many Americans suffer from chronic pain and much of that pain is inadequately or ineffectively treated. Particularly in the case of chronic pain treatment via opioid analgesics, proper chronic pain management is critical in determining whether opioids are used in a manner that is both medically appropriate and in compliance with regulations. Pain management is an important area of patient care that is integral to the practice of medicine, yet so often it is mismanaged. Here we review six most common ways pain is mismanaged:

• Inadequate attention to patient education and informed consent. Deciding to begin opioid therapy for chronic pain should only be made after a physician and patient discuss the risks. Pain patients should have a clear understanding that the clinical basis for the use of these medications for chronic pain is limited, risk of addiction is real, and that taking opioids with other substances or certain conditions (i.e. depression or a history of substance abuse) may further increase risk.
• Inadequate attention to initial assessment. A proper assessment will help to determine if an opioid based pain treatment regime is medically appropriate and necessary. It will also help in uncovering risks associated with use for a particular individual.
• Inadequate monitoring during the use of habit forming medications. Due to its highly addictive and dangerous nature, opioids are associated with drug addiction and abuse. Chronic pain treatment benefit from opioid dose reductions or tapering or weaning off the opioid.
• Excessive reliance on opioids for chronic pain management without adequate attention to alternative treatments. Prescribers should use opioid therapy only when safer and equally as effective alternative therapies prove to be ineffective.
• Baseless dosage increases without adequate attention to risks or alternative treatments. The risks associated with opioids increase with higher doses and even more in conjunction with other comorbidities (i.e. mental illnesses, respiratory disorders, pre-existing substance use disorder and sleep apnea) and with concurrent use with respiratory depressants such as benzodiazepines or alcohol.
• Lack of utilization of available tools or lack of knowledge of available tools for risk mitigation. Our Pharmacotherpay Review program uncovers major issues including duplicate therapies, dangerous or deadly drug interactions, or behaviors related to drug addiction. All of which can have a dramatic impact on a patient’s health.

ANS Pharmacotherapy Review

A well informed physician’s practice can improve safety and the outcome of chronic pain treatment for patients. This is an area where the expert medical cost containment solutions of ANS Solutions can help. Our Pharmacotherapy Review Program provides three highly effective stages that not only contribute to lower medical costs in workers’ compensation claims, but greatly enhance the quality of life and care for injured workers.

For more information, visit www.ans-solutions.com.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/6-ways-pain-management-is-miss-managed/