Oakland, CA – The WCIRB has released a report entitled Patterns of Drug Dispensing in California Workers Compensation, which analyzed $500 million in workers’ compensation pharmaceutical payments from July 2012 through December 2015. WCIRB researchers used reported medical payment data representing more than 90% of the California workers’ compensation insurance market.
Among the key findings of the report are:
- The share of drug payments made directly to dispensing physicians compared to pharmacies declined by 20% from July 2012 through December 2015.
- This change in dispensing patterns occurred across all types of drugs, and was especially apparent for opiate analgesics and base ingredients used in compounds.
- These trends were driven by a drop in the number of prescriptions per claim rather than a change in unit payments.
- Physicians received higher unit payments for specific types of opiate analgesics and stomach discomfort drugs when compared to equivalent medications available at pharmacies.
- The Los Angeles basin area generated 86% of all payments for compound drugs as compared to only 60% of other non-compound drug payments.
- The reduction in physician dispensing may help, in part, explain the overall 28% drop in drug spending per claim from the second half 2012 through the second half 2015 documented by prior WCIRB research.
The full report is available in the Research and Analysis section of the WCIRB website, or by clicking here: CA WCIRB: Patterns of Drug Dispensing in California Workers Compensation (PDF)
Questions regarding the report may be directed to communications@wcirb.com.
WCIRB Research Forum
The WCIRB will hold a WCIRB Research Forum webinar to discuss the Report findings on Thursday, September 22, 2016 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM PT. To register for the webinar, please click the registration link below.
Date: September 22, 2016
Time: 11:00AM – 12:00PM PT
Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4122124445429552129
For those unable to attend the live webinar, a recording will be posted in the Research and Analysis section of the WCIRB website following the event.
Source: CA WCIRB