CWCI: Chronic Opioid Use Fell to 3% of Lost-Time Claims

Chronic opioid use by injured workers decreased from 13% to 3% of all lost-time claims over a 10-year period, a trend projected to produce $6.5 billion in savings, according to a report from the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. The study’s authors analyzed 273,106 lost-time claims in California in which treatment started within the 10 years from 2008 through 2017. Payment and prescription data on the claims was valued through 2018. The authors found that over the 10-year study period, chronic opioid use dropped from 13% to 3% of all lost-time claims, while acute opioid...