Brief report: Population‐based reversal of the adverse impact of opioids on disability in Washington State workers’ compensation

Brief report: Population‐based reversal of the adverse impact of opioids on disability in Washington State workers’ compensation

Background Evidence has associated opioid use initiated early in a workers’ compensation claim with subsequent disability. In 2013, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (DLI) implemented procedures based on new regulations that require improvement in pain and function to approve o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of industrial medicine Vol. 62; no. 2; pp. 168 - 174
Main Authors: Franklin, Gary M., Mercier, Mark, Mai, Jaymie, Tuman, Doug, Fulton‐Kehoe, Deborah, Wickizer, Thomas, Sears, Jeanne M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-02-2019
Subjects:
Accidents, Occupational
Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use
disability
Disabled Persons
Drug Prescriptions - statistics & numerical data
Epidemics
Government agencies
Humans
Measurement methods
Narcotics
Opioids
Pain
Pain - drug therapy
prior authorization
Washington
Workers
Workers' compensation
Workers' Compensation - trends
Washington
workers’ compensation
disability
prior authorization
opioids
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Summary:Background Evidence has associated opioid use initiated early in a workers’ compensation claim with subsequent disability. In 2013, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (DLI) implemented procedures based on new regulations that require improvement in pain and function to approve opioids beyond the acute pain period. Methods We measured opioid prescriptions between 6 and 12 weeks following injury, an indicator of persistent opioid use. Actuarial data for the association of any opioid use versus no opioid use with development of lost time payments are reported. Results Prior authorization with hard stops led to a sustained drop in persistent opioid use, from nearly 5% in 2013 to less than 1% in 2017. This reduction was also associated with reversal of the increased lost work time patterns seen from 1999 to 2010. Conclusions Prior authorization targeted at preventing transition to chronic opioid use can prevent and reverse adverse time loss development that has occurred on a population basis concomitant with the opioid epidemic.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:0271-3586
1097-0274
DOI:10.1002/ajim.22937