NCCI: Narcotics Costs on the Rise amid Changing Market

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefNarcotics prescriptions as a share of overall workers' compensation claims costs are increasing and appear to be concentrated among a small group of chronic drug users, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) reported on Tuesday.NCCI released a 2012 update to its ongoing study of narcotics in the workers' compensation system and concluded the drug market is shifting for the nation's injured workers.The Boca Raton, Fla.-based rate maker noted changes in the narcotics most commonly used and warned "narcotics use is concentrated a...