Optum: Compound Use Has Fallen by Half This Year

In what may be the first report to look at workers’ comp drug spending in 2016, Optum found that the average prescription drug cost per claim fell 4.6% in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period last year. The pharmacy benefit manager said prescribing of compounded medications fell by more than half: Compounded drugs as a percentage of total spend dropped 56%, and as a percentage of total prescriptions, decreased 54%. In the first seven months of 2015, 0.9% of injured workers were using compounded medications, which in workers’ comp are often pain creams th...