Putting the Injured Worker First

In the workman’s comp industry, significant effort is put toward breaking the pharmaceutical cost cycle for Payers. As the industry fights for savings, however, injured workers often get lost in the shuffle. The nameless and faceless many among worker’s comp injury statistics are quite removed from the system they rely upon.

Bottom Line Statistics Means Poor Outcomes for Injured Workers

As political pundits fight for special interests, benefit caps are set with no relation to each state’s average weekly wage, ignoring improved wage data and analytical methods that could mend take-home benefits in favor of maintaining the status quo. In addition, research undertaken by the worker’s comp industry often passes over the injured workers themselves, focusing on bottom-line statistics. Typical drug utilization review programs further compound this focus, overlooking patient and prescriber history and offering little to no treatment compliance monitoring, thus yielding poor outcomes for all parties involved.

There is a silver lining however, organizations such as the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), the California Workers’ Compensation Institute, and the National Council for Compensation Insurance are attempting to remove the industry’s blinders with improved studies centered on cost containment and service delivery, offering evidence based data on medications, surgeries and providers in an effort to improve care for patients while curtailing costs.

Ensuring the Best Possible Outcomes

ANS’s Pharmacotherapy Review offers more than clinically-proven drug alternatives that reduce Payers’ costs. Our three pronged approach to claim management is much more comprehensive than the industry standard drug utilization review. Improving the quality of life and care of the injured worker is a driving force behind the development of our proprietary pharmacotherapy review program.

• Focusing on the well-being of the injured worker.
• Consolidating and coordinating drug therapies by multiple prescribers to uncover unnecessary or duplicate treatments.
• Providing alternate therapies with less associated risk factors.
• Uncovering potential risk addiction behaviors.
• Offering weaning programs to help combat the over-prescription of narcotics (opioids).

Embrace change for the betterment of all. Find out more about our innovative drug utilization program today by visiting www.ans-solutions.com.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/putting-the-injured-worker-first/

2016 WCRI Annual Issues & Research Conference

ANS recently attended the 2016 WCRI Annual Issues & Research Conference. The independent, not-for-profit institute studies and delivers objective information pertaining to public policy issues involving the workers’ comp system.

Conference Panel Highlights:

• Opioid Prescribing in Workers’ Comp
  • Overview:
    Opioids are a societal problem – not just a workers’ comp issue, and it will take a decade to dig ourselves out. Guidelines are necessary to combat the growing trend.
  • Positive Trends:
    Prescription frequency varies widely by state, leading to revised prescribing guidelines in medical/workers’ comp communities. Retail pharmacies are no longer simply filling, but verifying diagnosis/necessity. The DEA/FDA are also reclassifying some medications to reflect abuse potential, and activist groups supporting change are emerging.
  • Negative Trends:
    A major problem in the workers’ comp arena, the need for early intervention/monitoring is being overlooked by employers, and subsequently programs. Conflicting guidelines also cause confusion. Additionally, use of heroin, the cheaper alternative to prescription opioids, is on the rise.
  • Goals:
    Curtail chronic opioid use and ensure appropriate prescribing of opioids to injured workers and avoid unintended results by boosting awareness of the issue.
• Opioid Dispensing and Use
  • Overview:
    Yet-to-be published studies reveal the impact of pricing reforms for opioid dispensing physicians.
  • Physician Dispensing:
    Following reforms, prices decreased in most states, with fewer prescriptions dispensed. In IL and FL prices substantially increased – because physicians switched to formulations not covered in fee schedules. Price/amounts of pharmacy-dispensed products remained constant.
  • Variations in Use:
    Three-of-four injured workers nationwide receive opioids for pain. LA, NY, and PA dispense significantly higher amounts; NY and PA higher dosages. Patients who received opioids also received benzodiazepines in WI, MI, CT and MA. Per claim amounts decreased from 2012-2014, and frequency of drug testing increased significantly.

As an industry leader in large loss workers compensation claim management, ANS is setting the pace for drug utilization review with our proprietary Pharmacotherapy Review, helping fight the trend of the over-prescription of narcotics. Contact http://www.ans-solutions.com today.

This blog was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/2016-wcri-annual-issues-research-conference/