opioids News

Medical Marijuana Considered in War Against Illinois’ Opioid Crisis

Illinois lawmakers have come up with an unusual solution to combat its opioid crisis, allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana instead of opiates as a way to curb a growing epidemic. Doctors could choose to temporarily prescribe cannabis for patients …

Commentary: Workers’ Comp Can Benefit From Drug Formularies

With issues like the opioid crisis and inflating drug costs at the forefront of discussion in workers’ compensation, several states, including Indiana and Pennsylvania, are currently considering legislation to establish workers’ compensation drug formularies. Some debate has arisen as to …

As Opioids Decline, CWCI Study Tracks Changes in Workers’ Comp Drugs

Opioids remain the most common type of prescription drug used to treat California injured workers with lost-time injuries, but sustained efforts to curb their use are paying off as new data show that in the past decade they fell from …

New Study Finds Opioids No Better Than OTC Drugs for Chronic Pain

A yearlong study offers rigorous new evidence against using prescription opioids for chronic pain. In patients with stubborn back aches or hip or knee arthritis, opioids worked no better than over-the-counter drugs or other nonopioids at reducing problems with walking …

Chronic Pain Sufferers Plead for Nuanced Approach to Opioids

Will Michele Jacobovitz get out of bed today? That depends on how many painkillers she has left in her monthly prescription, which sometimes she’s forced to ration. Some mornings are harder than others. Jacobovitz, 56, has suffered from chronic pain …

OxyContin Maker Will Stop Promoting Opioids to Physicians

The maker of the powerful painkiller OxyContin said it will stop marketing opioid drugs to doctors, bowing to a key demand of lawsuits that blame the company for helping trigger the current drug abuse epidemic. OxyContin has long been the …

Duration, Number of Refills Spell Highest Risk for Opioid Misuse After Surgery

With opioid overdoses now a leading cause of nonintentional death in the United States, data show most of these deaths can be traced back to an initial prescription opioid. A new study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical …

International Opioid ‘Pill Mill’ Busted

Two people in Italy and five U.S. residents have been charged in a fraud and drug trafficking conspiracy to distribute opioids in Florida and Tennessee, leading to hundreds of deaths, federal prosecutors said Friday. The indictments were unsealed by federal …

NCCI: Healthcare Costs, Uncertainty Top 2018 Challenges for Workers’ Comp

For the fourth year in a row, carrier executives identified the U.S healthcare environment as their top concern for 2018, according to a just released National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) survey od carrier executives. The annual Carrier Executive Pulse …

Claims Journal’s Top 10 Contributed Articles in 2017

Insurance industry experts offered unique analysis and perspective throughout the year on a range of article topics, including machine learning, easing return to work and contents claims handling. The top contributed Claims Journal articles this year tackle subjects, like improving …