Proven Solutions To Address Opioid Abuse

The Louisiana Association of Self Insured Employers (LASIE) has released an article making a case for the state of Louisiana to adopt the ODG Drug Formulary.

Louisiana has the sixth highest prescription-per-capita rate with 1.03 pain-killer prescriptions written per Louisiana resident in 2015. In workers’ compensation, the situation is especially dire. A study of 25 states by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) showed that patients in Louisiana had the highest percentage of workers’ comp claims with long term opioid use and the highest number of opioids prescribed per claim.

Fortunately, there is talk of reform. On the table right now is HB 592, which the LASIE article describes as, “the most important workers’ compensation legislation since 2009.” The article also states, “HB 592 offers the only proven solution to Louisiana’s workers’ compensation opioid epidemic by naming the ODG Formulary.”

The article cites ODG’s proven track record, including results in the neighboring state of Texas, which adopted the ODG Drug Formulary in 2011. As a result, prescriptions for nonpreferred opioids dropped 81% and claims with prescriptions for dangerously high per diem opioid levels dropped 97%, from 15,000 to less than 500 in 2015.

The difference between theory and track record is all in the data. Either you have it, or you don’t. Kudos to LASIE for showing up with data.

Read the full article here, and read the full text of HB 592 here.