Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda
Update – parts of this post may be incorrect or mischaracterize the nature of AHCS’ business. I’m trying to get AHCS to respond to my request for information and help me better understand their business model. Original post follows It’s … Continue reading UPDATE – Repackaging drugs in comp; the wild west indeed!
Read More...I attended a meeting of work comp insurance execs in DC yesterday that addressed, among other topics, the dynamic situation in Texas, fee schedules for drugs, pending Federal legislation and the potential impact on comp, and the Gulf oil spill … Continue reading Regulation, Legislation, and Unintended Consequences
Read More...The evidence is pretty clear – low fee schedules don’t have much, if any, impact on drug costs. Sure, they give the appearance of action, and some actuaries and politicians are able to claim future cost reductions based solely on … Continue reading Work comp pharmacy fee schedules – what’s the answer
Read More...Mike Whitely of WorkCompCentral’s article [sub req] on Florida Governor Charlie Crist’s veto of the bill limiting reimbursement for physician-dispensed repackaged drugs illustrates just how confusing the weird world of work comp can be to the uninitiated – like Mr … Continue reading Florida’s (repackaged) drug problem
Read More...To no one’s surprise. work comp medical costs appear to be on their way up, and at a rate significantly higher than the medical CPI. First the what, then the why. The latest data from NCCI indicate comp medical inflation … Continue reading Work comp medical costs – heading up…
Read More...In 2004, California implemented a set of far-reaching reforms to its workers comp system, including several specifically aimed at cutting medical costs. One of the more drastic changes changed the pharmacy fee schedule from one based on a significant multiple … Continue reading Pharmacy costs in California work comp – time to reform the reform
Read More...No one knows just yet, not even the regulators and legislators who are the ones tasked with coming up with a mechanism to replace AWP – which is going away in less than eighteen months. More accurately, the First Databank/Medispan … Continue reading Work comp drug fee schedules – what’s going to happen?
Read More...Last week I posted on the pending change in pharmacy pricing that will reduce prices by about 4% for most brand drugs. The pharmacy and big food-and-drug chains are negotiating with the big PBMs; they are seeking ‘cost neutrality’; that … Continue reading The coming change in drug pricing
Read More...My firm, Health Strategy Associates, has conducted a survey of prescription drug management each year for the last five. I’m well into the survey portion of the Sixth Annual Survey, and here are some preliminary findings. 1. Drug cost inflation … Continue reading The Sixth Annual Survey of Prescription Drug Management in Workers’ Comp – (very) preliminary results
Read More...There are two key takeaways from the WCIRB report on California’s work comp costs (as reported by workcompcentral.com). Medical costs are rising fast, and managed care costs are rising much faster. Medical expenses climbed 7.9% last year, led by a … Continue reading Comp cost escalation in California; no answer in sight
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