WCRI: Interstate Variation and Trends in Workers’ Compensation Drug Payments: 2018Q1 to 2021Q1

Join us for a free 45-minute webinar on Sept. 29, 2022, at 2 p.m. ET as Dr. Vennela Thumula and Dongchun Wang discuss WCRI's FlashReport, Interstate Variation and Trends in Workers’ Compensation Drug Payments: 2018Q1 to 2021Q1.

“This study finds that payments for dermatological agents increased in several states, driven by physician dispensing and mail-order pharmacies,” said John Ruser, president and CEO of WCRI. “This study lets you see if these patterns hold for your state and shows you trends in prescribing of several other types of drugs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], opioids, compounds, etc.).

Questions Addressed:

·    Which drug groups make up the most prescription drug payments in workers’ compensation?

·    What are the latest trends in spending?

·    Are there emerging cost drivers? Is physician dispensing driving the costs for any of the drug groups in any states?

·    How do payments for the various drug groups differ among the study states?

·    Did prescription drug spending change during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The 28 states in the study are Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. In each quarter, prescriptions that were dispensed for all medical claims with injuries occurring within three years of the prescription fill date and paid under workers’ compensation were included.