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Fentanyl Shocker – Popular Pain Med?

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Popular Pain Med Fentanyl

The popular pain med fentanyl CWI California was shock. This very dangerous medication hit the Workers Comp airwaves late last week. An article was published by the California Workers Compensation Institute which indicated that Fentanyl was being prescribed more regularly by certain California physicians as a pain killer.

Graphic of Different Medicines Popular Pain Med Fentanyl
(c) 123rf.com

Fentanyl is one of the most powerful narcotic drugs on earth. It is usually prescribed in a patch form. I had seen two different medical shows where someone had died due to a breathing failure when they accidentally put on two patches – both times after waking in the middle of the night and forgetting they already had on a patch. According to the CWCI article, Fentanyl is 75 to 100 times more potent than oral morphine.

 According to the CWCI study, $86 million dollars was spent on Fentanyl from Jamuary 2006 to December 2009 on just Workers Compensation prescriptions. CWCI’s research series has shown that the 10 percent of physicians who write the most Schedule II opioid prescriptions for injured workers in California are associated with 79 percent of all workers’ compensation prescriptions for these types of narcotics, and for 84 percent of the fentanyl prescriptions.

 I am not saying that fentanyl does not have its place in treatment. As I have posted very often, why I post on any California issues is that with Workers Comp, what happens in CA will be coming to your state soon.

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James J Moore - Workers Comp Expert

Raleigh, NC, United States

About The Author...

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Management Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:

  • Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
  • Entrepreneur Magazine
  • Bloomberg Business News
  • WorkCompCentral.com
  • Claims Magazine
  • Risk & Insurance Magazine
  • Insurance Journal
  • Workers Compensation.com
  • LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites
  • Various trade publications

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