Comp Drug Utilization Decreasing, Medication Costs Rising

Workers’ compensation prescription drug utilization is trending downward, but the costs of medication are rising, primarily due to costly topical agents that mostly come from out-of-network physician dispensing channels, according to a report released Monday by Enlyte LLC. In 2023, the workers’ comp industry saw an overall per-claim decrease and a decrease in opioid prescriptions for injured workers, but it also experienced double-digit cost increases due to new prescribing trends, the report states. In addition to increasing costs related to topical prescriptions, migraine medic...