MDs‘ Prescription Activity Seen Hiking Comp Cost
Tuesday, August 26th, 2003 Workers' CompensationA surge in prescription activity by doctors is having a greater impact on the cost of treating injured workers than the price of drugs, according to new research from the National Council On Compensation Insurance. The findings were made in the report "Prescription Drugs: Comparison of Drug Costs and Patterns of Use in Workers Compensation and Group Health Plans." Among the other key findings the insurance rate setting group said were figures showing that workers‘ compensation systems paid roughly 125 percent of the average wholesale price of prescription drugs, while group health operations paid 72 percent. The report also said that the prescription drug share of workers‘ comp medical costs rose from 6.5 percent in 1997 to 9.6 percent in 2001 using the year the accident occurred.
