Texas Formulary Could Reduce Costs in other States, WCRI Finds

By Joey BerlinSouthern Bureau ChiefThe results of a Workers Compensation Research Institute study suggest that a closed pharmacy formulary similar to the one implemented in Texas could reduce the prevalence and costs of prescription drugs in other states.The WCRI study, Impact of a Texas-Like Formulary in Other States, examined Texas itself and 23 other states, including some of the states that have been linked in previous studies to copious prescriptions of pain medication.On Sept. 1, 2011, Texas became the first multi-payor state to implement a closed formulary for the workers’ compens...