Drop in Drug Use Offsets Price Increases, NCCI Reports

Prescription drug spending as a proportion of workers’ comp total medical costs has been hovering around 13.5% for at least six years in a row, as increases in prescription drug prices have been offset by decreased drug utilization, according to a new report. “The price of drugs continues to rise, but we’re using fewer of them,” said Nedzad Arnautovic, author of the report from the National Council on Compensation Insurance. The report also found a drop in opioid prescriptions, “as doctors opt for alternative treatments,” as well as decreases in physician ...