Merge Diagnostic Solutions

As doctors try to move away from prescribing opioids, injured workers have fewer options for adequate pain management.

In these uncertain times, injured workers with chronic pain are having trouble accessing medications for pain management. Opioid patients at risk for addiction are particularly vulnerable without regular visits with their physicians. Experts weigh in on how to help struggling patients and best practices for navigating these new challenges.

Good news in workers' compensation: Opioid prescriptions begin to decrease as medical providers turn to alternative treatments.

The opioid epidemic continues to be a hot topic at insurance industry conferences. At the end of last year, panelists at the NWCDC discussed the impact of opioids on employee safety and alternative treatments for injured workers.

For the first time, PBMs are being held accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic.

A recent study conducted by the National Safety Council found that, while 75% of employers have been directly affected by opioids, only 17% feel they are adequately prepared to deal with the issue.

Class actions brought against physicians and hospitals for opioid-related claims are predicted to become more frequent in 2019. Healthcare providers who fail to implement an effective plan to monitor opioid patients will be even more vulnerable to lawsuits with these changes in litigation.

Using data provided by our friends at Chesapeake Employers Insurance, the findings of the study suggest that workers' compensation claimants have a high proportion of persistent opioid use, with nearly 30% of claimants continuing to refill their opioid prescriptions beyond 90 days from injury.

The arrests of these four Montgomery County, PA doctors are part of, what authorities describe as, "a broader crackdown on the various sources fueling the deadly opioid epidemic."

Data collected from 48 million insured Americans has led to a discouraging conclusion: "not much has changed in prescription opioid use since about five years ago." It's time to end this cycle. Contact Merge Diagnostic Solutions today to find out more about our drug screening programs.

A report published by the Massachusetts Department of Health revealed that 24% of opioid-related deaths occurred among people working in the construction industry. This startling statistic shows that higher rates of opioid deaths are often more prevalent in jobs with higher rates of work-related injuries.