There’s precious little good news on the subject of opioid overuse in work comp; NCCI and WCRI report increased usage, pill mills abound, CWCI’s research shows longer disability durations, and payers lament their inability to do much of anything to fix the problem.
The last two weeks have brought news that is welcome indeed; early indications are that Texas’ adoption of a restricted formulary has led to significant reductions in the use of opioids early on in new claims, stakeholders are focusing on preparing to address legacy claims, and there may well already be some impact on legacy claims.
For those not deep into this issue, Texas is one of the few states (and almost all the others are monopolistic WC states) that has adopted tight guidelines re the prescribing and dispensing of opioids to workers comp claimants. These guidelines were imposed on all claims occurring on or after September 1 2011. While it is still early, preliminary research indicates a significant impact on prescribing and dispensing patterns. (the changes compare claims occurring from September to November 2011 to claims in the same timeframe in 2010)
– prescription drug costs for drugs “not recommended” (N) for 2011 claims were reduced by 75 percent when compared to 2010
– the number of claims receiving “N” drugs dropped by 54 percent
– total prescription drug costs for 2011 claims declined 26 percent – about $1.4 million
– “the frequency of opioid prescriptions dispensed to injured employees decreased by 10 percent and the costs associated with opioid prescriptions decreased by 17 percent”
Word is there has also been an impact on older, legacy claims. Anecdotally, PBMs are reporting they are seeing changes in prescriptions for some claims that were incurred long before 9/1/11.
The data from Washington state is another indicator that physicians can and do change prescribing patterns when forced to by regulation. Washington saw a significant decrease in the volume and potency of opioid prescriptions after passage of legislation addressing the issue.
What does this mean for you?
Prescribing patterns can be changed. All it requires is:
a) political will; and
b) tough regulations and/or legislation.
Jun
26
Joe — I would think your readers might want to know the source of the Formulary that is working so well in Texas, which is ODG. ODG published both the Formulary and treatment guidelines adopted in Texas. Thanks! –Phil
Phil – Thanks for the note. Many states have evidence-based guidelines in place, ACOEM, ODG, and others.
The real issue is what enabling legislation/enforcing regulations can be used to support the recommendations of guidelines. It’s not so much the guidelines themselves as the authority to use and enforce those guidelines that is the key.
Joe