Opioid Therapy: Red Flags That Warrant Intervention
February 24, 2014
Signs that opioid therapy is being abused in a workers’ compensation claim can be difficult to pinpoint. The behavior may not seem consistent due to the nature of the injury, so sometimes it can go undetected. This article provides 5 basic criteria to assist in recognizing potential abuse in opioid therapy…
“Early warning signs of potential abuse or misuse frequently go unnoticed because some characteristics seem insignificant when considered in isolation. However, when multiple attributes are combined, they can reveal serious risks for inappropriate drug utilization. In order to identify characteristics that should raise red flags, the prescription data must be monitored from multiple perspectives.”
With a Pre-MSA review model that evaluates medical records from all prescribers with the Rx filling history from all sources to identify potential intervention triggers, Tower MSA Partners seeks to identify and address issues before MSA and settlement, and to remain involved until resolution is achieved. The 5 triggers included in this article are among the behaviors / triggers we seek to identify with each claim, and are a great starting point to build you own criteria to stage claims for early intervention.
