Injured Workers Pharmacy Blog

According to the National Center for PTSD, about 7-8% of the U.S. population will have PTSD at some point in their life - amounting to 8 million adults with PTSD in a given year. 

On the last day of May, the Illinois legislature adjourned for the 2017 session.  Although the start of the session saw a flurry of activity and optimism that the budget stalemate might end and key system reforms might be adopted, the session ended as it has the last few years, with not much to show. 

Caseloads are up. Court dates are getting pushed back further and further and costs per claims continue to rise. Patients are calling your firm with complaints about adjusters, pharmacies, and the entire workers’ compensation process. When a patient’s medications get denied or cut-off, your phone lines are jammed all day long. Is it possible for a pharmacy to be the solution rather than the problem?

Earlier this month, an Alabama circuit judge struck down all of the Alabama Workers' Comp statute.  So why such a dramatic ruling? Well, when ruling on the case the judge found two specific provisions from the statute unconstitutional, the cap on attorney’s fees and the $220/week cap on compensation for an injured worker and because of how Alabama’s law is structured, if a single part is unconstitutional, the entire statute fails.

In 2015, the California legislature passed Assembly Bill No. 1124 which required the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) to develop and implement a drug formulary by July 1, 2017.  Since it’s signing into law on October 6, 2015, the DWC has worked on developing a California specific drug formulary and the regulations to accompany it. 

As of 2017, most states in the country allow for the medical use of marijuana – 29 states to be exact.  Each state has its own system for handling medical marijuana. Some states limit the potency of the available marijuana, while other states restrict when it can be used, limiting it to only a specified list of illnesses.  However, no matter how many states have laws in the book allowing it, the federal government still prohibits it- which makes for a tricky situation, especially when an employer is being asked to pay for it to treat an injured worker.  Needless to say, the issue is complicated.

Mental health claims in workers comp has been a growing topic over the last few years.  As society develops a better understanding of mental illness and its treatment, states have begun considering where and when a mental illness, especially Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), should be incorporated into workers’ comp statutes.  While it seems to be a topic in almost every state house the last few years, that hasn’t always been the case.

Retail pharmacies, like CVS and Walgreens, seem to occupy every street corner from coast to coast. With nearly 70 percent of Americans taking at least one prescription medication, it’s not uncommon for people to feel comfortable and become familiar with their local retail pharmacy and pharmacy staff.

Illinois is in the middle of one of the longest budget battles in history.  With two years down, the state still has not been able to adopt a budget.  So, why such a big crisis?  Simple, the Republican Governor and the Democratic House leader do not see eye-to-eye. 

Yesterday, IWP had the pleasure of attending the Mental Health and Workplace Well-being conference in Boston, Massachusetts. This event, which was sponsored by The Alliance of Women in Workers' Compensation, brought together industry stakeholders from various backgrounds with one common goal – creating awareness for mental health issues within the workers' compensation.