Why use anticonvulsants to treat pain?
January 6, 2020
2 MIN READA fuller awareness of the risks, costs, and consequences of opioid medication use in clinical pain management is growing, and the search for safe, effective, and affordable alternatives to them has taken on new urgency. The quest for opioid alternatives that offer a measure of effective analgesia (without craving, tolerance, and addiction) is taking on an increased priority in discovery laboratories and across the ranks of practicing clinicians and other health care professionals. Beyond new discovery, another potential source of such alternatives is in reevaluating existing medications approved for pain as well as those approved for other uses that may also hold promise for use as analgesics.
In workers’ comp, the topics we talk about will continue to broaden in 2020
December 31, 2019
2 MIN READWhen thinking about the future, one often looks back, determines what might not have been accomplished and adds things that haven’t been attempted. In workers’ comp, it can often feel like we deal with the same challenges over and over and are disappointed that things aren’t moving fast enough. Some topics have been mainstays in the industry. Think of opioid use, misuse, and abuse; return-to-work programs; ergonomics and safety; new and improved approaches to case management.
2019 Recap
December 23, 2019
3 MIN READAs we wrap up the year, we’d like to thank everyone who supported The Sounding Board blog in 2019. The official launch took place in July and since then we have shared 47 posts.
Warnings about impurities in Zantac® and blood pressure medicines
December 16, 2019
2 MIN READIn September 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported the discovery of low levels of an impurity in brand, generic, and over- the-counter (OTC) versions of a popular heartburn medication, Zantac® (Ranitidine HCl) 1, prompting a flurry of manufacturer recalls, national distribution halts, and product removals from retail pharmacy shelves. Ranitidine is an H2 (Histamine-2) blocker approved as a prescription medicine for treatment and prevention of GI ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). OTC versions are approved for relief of acid indigestion and sour stomach. H2 blockers (like Tagamet, Pepcid, and Zantac) act by reducing the amount of acid produced by cells lining the stomach.
What moved the state of Ohio to drop OxyContin® from their formulary?
December 9, 2019
3 MIN READThe state of Ohio, among the hardest hit in the nation for opioid overdose deaths, has undertaken a number of measures to meet the crisis as it has evolved. A review of opioid use in the injured worker population, completed in 2011, revealed an alarming number (73%) were filling opioid prescriptions.1 A closed formulary, expanded access to antidote products (naloxone), and opioid focused prescribing guidelines have all followed since and have contributed to some reductions in prescribing and the prevalence of opioid use.
Overview of the 2019 Texas Department of Insurance Workers’ Compensation Network Report Card
December 2, 2019
5 MIN READThe Texas Department of Insurance recently released its annual Workers’ Compensation Network Report Card. The 2019 Report Card includes medical cost and utilization measures for 17 workers’ compensation health care networks (HCNs), including the Coventry HCN, First Health HCN, and several other HCNs supported by Coventry. Various measures were calculated for injuries occurring between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018.
Pharmacy Nurse – When specialized attention is what’s needed
November 25, 2019
3 MIN READWorkers’ comp pharmacy costs represent approximately 18% of total medical spend. That translates to $5 billion in pharmacy spend nationwide.1 Most employers and payors utilize Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) which offer an excellent line of defense in managing these ever-increasing pharmacy costs. But PBMs, by design, only manage the pharmacy related aspects of a claim. What if you could extend the reach of your PBM by combining it with the knowledge, care and one-on-one delivery model used in case management? With a pharmacy nurse, you can.