NCCI: State Pain Management Costs Vary as Opioids Fall, Topicals Rise

Pain management accounted for 30% of workers' compensation medical costs in 2023, according to a new research brief released Wednesday by the National Council on Compensation Insurance that revealed a “wide” variation in pain management costs across states. The report found that pain management paid-per-claim increased an average of 1% annually from 2012 to 2023 across 36 study states. Louisiana recorded the largest increase over that period, while Alaska saw the largest decline. Even after adjusting for differences in diagnosis mix, substantial cost variation remained, accor...