Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of a new repot from the California WCIRB that examines patterns of drug dispensing in the state’s workers’ compensation system between July 2012 through December 2015, covering $500 million in workers’ comp pharmaceutical payments.
Key findings from the report included that the share of drug payments made directly to dispensing physicians compared to pharmacies declined by 20% over the study period, and across all types of drugs, with significant changes to opiate analgesics and base compound ingredients. Trends were seen as driven by a drop in the number of prescriptions per claim rather than changes in unit payments. The WCIRB also noted that the reduction in physician dispensing may assist in partially explaining the overall 28% drop in drug spending per claim from 2H 2012- 2H 2015 documented in prior research.
Find out more (including a link to the free report!) by clicking here!