Help

BI’s Article search uses Boolean search capabilities. If you are not familiar with these principles, here are some quick tips.

To search specifically for more than one word, put the search term in quotation marks. For example, “workers compensation”. This will limit your search to that combination of words.

To search for a combination of terms, use quotations and the & symbol. For example, “hurricane” & “loss”.

Login Register Subscribe

Workers in contracting trades lead in opioid use: NCCI

Reprints
opioids

Workers compensation claims in the contracting industry have relatively higher opioid usage and almost double the costs when compared with the other industry groups, which researchers say is caused in part by the occurrence of more severe claims, according to a report released this month by the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

Twenty percent of workers compensation claims in the contracting industry, which includes such trades as construction and roofing, receive an opioid, compared with 14% of other industry groups such as manufacturing and clerical, according to the report by the Boca Raton, Florida-based ratings agency that examined data from claims between 2012 and 2017.

The report also showed that opioid prescriptions for those working in contracting are 20% stronger when looking at morphine-equivalent strength. The report also found that the average cost per claim in construction stood at $12,760, versus $5,608 in all other industry segments. 

Meanwhile, overall opioid usage has experienced decreases in recent years, including among the contracting industry, the report highlights. Despite large decreases, the contracting industry group remains higher relative to the other groups. Between 2012 and 2017, overall per-claim opioid usage fell by 49% in the contracting industry group.

 

 

 

 

 

Read Next

  • Closely watched opioid trial postponed due to coronavirus

    (Reuters) – A highly anticipated trial pitting New York state against McKesson Corp., Johnson & Johnson, CVS Health Corp. and others for allegedly fueling the opioid epidemic has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the court.