The five year downward trend in drug cost inflation appears to be over, driven by excessive utilization, pain management, and price increases on a couple key drugs. But not all payers are experiencing increased costs; some actually saw costs decline in 2008, due to strong clinical management, a solid understanding of underlying cost drivers, and a willingness to engage with treating physicians.

Those are among the findings of the Sixth Annual Survey of Prescription Drug Management in Workers Comp, completed late last year.

In partnership with the good people at WorkCompCentral, I'll be providing an overview of the most recent findings from the in a webinar scheduled for Tuesday, January 12 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm eastern. The cost for the webinar is $149.

Webinar registrants will receive a copy of the Survey results, to register click here and enter the code 'Hsarx'.