opioids News

Opioid Crisis Cost the Nation $504B in 2015

President Donald Trump said Monday that the opioid epidemic is “ravaging so many American families and communities.” It also appears to be more expensive than previously thought, according to a government analysis released Monday. The White House Council of Economic …

CompPharma: Workers’ Comp Drug Spend Continues to Decline

A new survey shows an 11 percent reduction in worker’s compensation payers’ year-over-year drug spend. The decline is associated with a 13.3 percent reduction in opioid cost, according to CompPharma’s 14th Annual Survey of Prescription Drug Management. Total workers’ compensation …

Insurer Says It Shouldn’t Have to Pay for Medical Marijuana in Maine Case

The Maine supreme court on Wednesday began considering whether a paper millworker left suicidal by narcotic painkillers should receive workers’ compensation for medical marijuana. It’s the first time the court has considered the question of insurance reimbursement for medical marijuana. …

Many Opioid Addicts Hoping for Recovery Relapse, Turn to Insurance Fraud

The Reflections treatment center looked like just the place for Michelle Holley’s youngest daughter to kick heroin. Instead, as with dozens of other Florida substance abuse treatment facilities, the owner was more interested in defrauding insurance companies by keeping addicts …

Express Scripts Will Limit Drug for First Time Opioid Users

The nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager will soon limit the number and strength of opioid drugs prescribed to first-time users as part of a wide-ranging effort to curb an epidemic affecting millions of Americans. But the new program from Express …

Travelers Reports 30% Reduction in Opioid Use Among Workers’ Comp Claimants

The Travelers Companies, Inc., reported a 30 percent reduction in the use of opioids among the more than 500,000 injured U.S. employees covered by its workers’ compensation policies since 2015. This has been achieved primarily through the use of the …

Easing the ‘Return-to-Work’ Process for Injured Workers

In 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 2.9 million non-fatal workplace accidents occurred that year. Of this, over 50 percent of the injured workers experienced time lost from work. A number this large obviously eats into a …

Panel Calls on FDA to Review Opioid Safety

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should review the safety and effectiveness of all opioids, and consider the real-world impacts the powerful painkillers have, not only on patients, but also on families, crime and the demand for heroin. That’s the …

Missouri to Become Last State to Create Drug-Monitoring Plan

Missouri became the final state to create a prescription drug-monitoring program after Republican Gov. Eric Greitens signed an executive order Monday aimed at combating a scourge that killed more than 900 residents last year. The monitoring program could be operating …

Texas Doctor Accused in Overdose Deaths of at Least 7 Chronic Pain Patients

A Texas doctor wrote unnecessary prescriptions for powerful drugs that contributed to the overdose deaths of at least seven people over a four-year period, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday. Howard Gregg Diamond, 56, was arrested Tuesday on charges …