Workers Comp Opioid Use Numbers – Two Workers Comp Systems
After seeing so many reports on Workers Comp opioid use, I decided to write very few articles on the subject. The subject was overwrought to the point where it became one of those overused recycled buzzwords.
Two recently released studies on opioid use signal a door closing almost completely – but not quite. I had thought the opioid crisis in Workers Comp had reached its conclusion. From the two below studies, one area remains a concern.
MMEs -Morphine Milligram Equivalents – Average Dose – 50 MME/day.
NCCI Study
Raji H. Chadarevian – Executive Director—Actuarial Research – NCCI was the presenter of NCCI’s study.
Raji’s presentation and slides can be found here. The video and slides are located at the bottom of the article.
From the above charts, one would think the opioid crisis was coming to a conclusion. However, one area of Workers Comp opioid use still causes a concern.
CWCI Study
I came across this study today on WorKCompCentral.com. The California Workers Comp Institute has always provided great data and studies on many subjects.
The CWCI Study showed – as in the NCCI report – that one area of concern still exists – notice the spike in California’s Workers Comp Opioid use among chronic users. I recommend downloading the study as a great up-to-date reference on CA’s Workers Comp opioid use statistics.
Chronic patients: The average days’ supply per patient for chronic opioid patients in workers’ compensation increased by 9.1 percent (Exhibit 5). Although the underlying prescriptions per patient declined by 1.5 percent, this was offset by a 10.8 percent increase in the days’ supply per prescription (Exhibit 4). Additionally, the sharp increase in the average days’ supply per patient in 2021 (21.7 percent) reflects the spike in prescriptions per patient during that timeframe (Exhibit 4).
At first glance, one can see a huge spike in 2020. The study report goes more into why this may have occurred in 2020.
Workers Comp Opioid Use – High Use Still a Concern for the Long Term
Even though, the two studies show slightly different conclusions, on which group increased over time versus decreased, chronic long-term workers comp opioid use still remains a problem.
2 Responses
Great article as it relates to work comp. In the general population, it is a critical problem in the construction industry. More education needed; however, many large contractors now attempt to address the problem.
Thanks, James.
Thanks, Nancy. Chronic long term opioid use has been a problem for over 25 years. Vicodin seems to be the largest concern on the files that J&L reviews for people. The link to the NCCI video did not work for some. It is now fixed. Have a great weekend,