Research Papers

myMatrixx’s Phil Walls, RPh, Chief Clinical and Compliance Officer, and Michael Nguyen, PharmD are contributing authors to CompPharma's white paper on the use of compounds in injured workers. The use of compounded drugs has increased five-fold in the last five years, raising questions about their use and their costs. Are they safe? Are they more effective than manufactured drugs? When should they be used? This and much more is covered in this information packed paper.

In workers’ compensation, it is commonplace for Pharmacy Benefit Management companies (PBM’s) to inherit catastrophic cases. This study tells of one such claim that myMatrixx faced. Drug therapy costs had reached alarming heights and the claim was in urgent need of intervention. myMatrixx’s Clinical Team approached it with the goal of mitigating risks for both the patient and the insurer. The study reviews a clinical intervention with a case including multiple opioids totaling over $27,000 a month. The case was brought to myMatrixx by Safety National who was concerned about the cost of this regimen as well as health risks for the injured worker. The outcome delivered a savings of over $250,000 per year for the claim.

Nationwide employers and insurers are struggling to grapple with the potential effects of medical marijuana in workers’ compensation. Not the least of these is the issue of legality. While on a federal level it is illegal to be in possession of marijuana under any circumstances, 17 states and the District of Columbia have made it legal to use marijuana for medical purposes and similar legislation is currently pending in another six states. Throughout the country, even in states that have legalized its use, federal law prevents doctors from prescribing marijuana. This conflict between state and federal laws raises any number of issues that directly affect the workers’ compensation industry and the workplace as a whole. Despite legalization, it remains to be seen what accommodations employers must make in those states in which medical use of marijuana is allowed. myMatrixx takes an in depth look at this topic in a white paper and the impact it is having on workers’ compensation.

Use of prescription painkillers has increased in staggering proportions compared with other medication classes, in terms of the number of prescriptions written, costs and incidence of overuse and abuse. It has been noted that adherence to guidelines for instituting and monitoring opioid therapy can have a significant impact on cost control in managing the care of an injured worker. The earlier in the claim that insurers are alerted to problems, even to the point of predicting cases in which potential exists, the easier it is to ensure improved outcomes. This white paper will review red flags to look out for and how to identify risk earlier when opioids are used in a patient's therapy.