By ReduceYourWorkersComp
The hottest workers’ compensation topic currently is the run-away cost of opioids, which are very strong narcotics, in the treatment of employee injuries. Key findings from the recent WCRI conference state that most injured workers received opioids for pain relief, over 80% in some states. In addition, the amount of opioids received per claim has been unusually high in some states with fewer longer-term users of opioids receiving services for monitoring and management.  » More

By Mark Hoffman
There is now solid research based on official data about the recreational use of prescription opioids, which is part of the epidemic rise in deaths from prescription drug overdoses, now one of the major causes of death in the US. Researchers at Columbia University found that the rate of drug overdose from prescription opioids increased seven-fold in New York City over a 16-year period and was concentrated especially among white residents of the city, in one of the earliest and most comprehensive studies of how the opioid epidemic has affected an urban area.

Analysing data from the city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the period 1990-2006, the researchers examined the factors associated with death from prescription opioids versus heroin, which historically has been the most common type of opioid fatality in urban areas. » More

From Workers Comp Forum
The commission released a draft report that assesses screening for higher-risk prescribing practices in the workers' comp system and information on opioid prescribing that can be used to develop screening criteria for assessing opioid prescribing risk. An additional memo summarizes the evaluation of guidelines for using opioids to treat pain among injured workers.

"Opioids can be an appropriate means of treating patients with chronic pain, particularly those with moderate to severe pain," the report says. "Nevertheless, the increasing use of opioids has been accompanied by real risks of substance misuse, addiction, diversion, overdose, and death." » More

By compnewsnetwork
Palm Beach Gardens, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) - In a recent interview to discuss the National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference® (NWCDC) session Opioid Addiction: The Causes, Costs and Solutions, Dr. Gary Franklin, Medical Director at the Washington Department of Labor and Industries, stated that the opioid crisis is a problem created by man which will require man-made solutions. Dr. Franklin’s session, being held during the 21st Annual NWCDC, November 7 - 9, 2012 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is one of several that will explore solutions for battling opioid abuse in workers’ comp.

“The opioid crisis is a public health emergency right now,” said Dr. Franklin. “The goal of my session is to educate attendees and get them fired up to try to solve this problem.”  » More

By Kate Nash
Prescriptions for opioid painkillers would get greater scrutiny from doctors and pharmacists under proposals to be considered by the state's pharmacy and medical boards this summer.

The plans also aim to better educate everyone involved about the dangers of overprescribing or becoming addicted to pills such as hydrocodone and OxyContin.

The move comes as New Mexico's overall drug-overdose death rate is the highest in the country, and new statistics from the state Department of Health show a dramatic rise in the sale of opioid drugs, up 131 percent from 2001 to 2010.

"The board was very alarmed at the overdose rate in the state," said state Board of Pharmacy Director Bill Harvey. "We're very serious about reducing the amount of opioids or controlled substances that are available for abuse," he said.  » More

By Keith Humphreys
Overdose from prescription opioids (e.g., Oxycodone or Hydrocodone) has become one of the most common causes of accidental death in the United States. Two new articles in BMJ suggest that overdose is not the only risk about which patients, prescribers and policy makers should be concerned.

Khademi and colleagues conducted a prospective study of a cohort of 50,045 Iranians. They followed up over 99 percent of the sample and then assessed the impact of opium use on mortality. After statistically adjusting for cigarette smoking, education, age and other factors, the research team reported that opium use nearly doubled the risk of death. The number of diseases with increased incidence among opium users was large, and included tuberculosis, cancer and COPD. The results held even when the researchers excluded from analysis individuals who started using opium in response to the onset of a chronic illness.  » More