This FlashReport presents data on payments for prescription drugs paid in workers’ compensation for key therapeutic groups of drugs by quarter. The drug groups, which represent the large majority of all payments for prescription drugs in workers’ compensation, include

  • dermatological agents,
  • nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),
  • anticonvulsants,
  • musculoskeletal therapy agents,
  • opioids,
  • antidepressants, and
  • compounds.

This study provides a high-level view of changing costs of prescription drugs in workers’ compensation across 28 states. It breaks prescription drugs into groups (dermatological agents, NSAIDs, opioids, compounds, etc.) so you can see where workers’ compensation prescribing dollars are being spent and whether spending for those groups of drugs is going up or down.

The 28 states in the study are Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Interstate Variation and Trends in Workers’ Compensation Drug Payments: 2018Q1 to 2021Q1—A WCRI FlashReport. Vennela Thumula, Te-Chun Liu, and Dongchun Wang. June 2022. FR-22-01.

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