Massachusetts Workers' Compensation Lawyer Blog
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) has released data from a new study that examined payment per claim for drugs prescribed to injured workers. The study covered 16 states, and found that the average number of pills per claim with prescriptions in Texas was 41% higher than the study’s median. The average number of prescriptions per workers’ compensation claim was 34% higher.
While injured employees in Texas received the same types of medications as workers in other states, Texas physicians more frequently prescribed muscle relaxants and anti-infectives. WCRI attributed this discrepancy to regional differences in medical training or practice norms.
The average price per pill paid to Texas pharmacies was comparable to the median in the 16 states studies, but doctors in Texas had a slightly higher incidence of using brand name medications. This study is part of an annual series that will benchmark the cost, price, and utilization of pharmaceuticals in workers’ compensation.
Source: Payment Per Claim For Drugs Prescribed To TX Injured Workers Nearly 30 Percent Higher Than Study Median, WorkersCompensation.com, May 11, 2010
Contact our Massachusetts workers’ compensation attorneys with questions about a workers’ compensation claim.
