Broadspire program addresses workers comp medication costs

Broadspire Services Inc. has launched a physician dispensing program to lower workers compensation medication costs and improve safety for injured workers, the third-party administrator said Thursday.

The program addresses safety concerns associated with physician dispensation of medications directly to injured workers, the Atlanta-based Crawford & Co. unit said in a statement.

An original pilot program sent letters to dispensing physicians in states that permit direction of care, telling them about the safety risks and higher costs associated with the practice and giving them information about Broadspire’s pharmacy network benefit, which allows the provision of medications associated with the injured worker’s compensable condition without any expense to the worker, according to the statement.

Broadspire saw a 46% decrease in costs associated with physician-dispensed medications, the statement said.

“Our program continues to be expanded to other states that are significant contributors to this issue, and we will be measuring the impact of those programs on an ongoing basis,” Erica Fichter, senior vice president of medical management for Broadspire, said in the statement.