CMS 2024 WCMSA Metrics: Key Trends in Medication and Treatment Costs

December 4, 2024

stethoscope and pill bottle on representing WCMSA trends

CMS 2024 WCMSA Metrics: Key Insights into Costs and Trends

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its 2024 data on Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) reviews. This year’s metrics highlight two significant trends: declining prescription drug costs and rising medical treatment costs.

For employers, insurers, and other stakeholders, understanding these trends is crucial for effective planning and cost management. Here’s a breakdown of the key findings and how Tower MSA stands out in the industry.

CMS WCMSA Metrics Overview: 2020–2024

CMS’s fiscal year 2024 data provides a five-year perspective on MSA reviews, comparing proposed amounts to CMS-recommended (approved) amounts. Here are the major takeaways:

  • Consistency in Review Numbers:
    CMS completed 14,862 MSA recommendations in 2024, closely aligning with the five-year average of 15,138.
  • Decrease in Recommendations:
    After a 9% rise in recommended amounts between 2022 and 2023, 2024 saw a 6% drop.
  • Stable Average MSA Amounts:
    The average approved MSA decreased slightly to $85,927 in 2024 from $86,453 in 2023. However, this remains above the five-year average of $83,851.
  • Variance Between Proposed and Approved Amounts:
    The variance, which increased to 22% in 2023, remained steady at 21% in 2024.

Key Trends in Costs

  1. Prescription Drug Costs Continue to Decline

CMS data reveals a notable 33% decrease in average prescription drug costs over five years, from $26,574 in 2020 to $17,807 in 2024. This decline reflects:

  • Reduced opioid use in workers’ compensation cases.
  • Increased allocation of generic medications over brand-name drugs.
  1. Treatment Costs Are Rising

While prescription costs have fallen, the average treatment costs have increased by 15% since 2020, signaling a shift in the cost structure for MSAs.

How Tower MSA Partners Compares to Industry Averages

Tower MSA Partners has consistently achieved lower costs for its clients, significantly outperforming industry averages in both total MSA and prescription drug components.

  • Average Approved MSA (2020-2023):
    • CMS: $82,332
    • Tower: $63,005 (23% lower)
  • Prescription Drug Component (2020-2023):
    • CMS: $22,048
    • Tower: $14,286 (35% lower)

Through targeted interventions like our Physician Follow-up service, Tower mitigates costs while ensuring compliance with CMS requirements.

Why CMS Metrics Matter

These annual metrics provide invaluable insights for stakeholders managing workers’ compensation cases. They not only reflect trends in CMS review processes but also offer benchmarks to evaluate cost-saving strategies.

Tower MSA’s cost-effective approach demonstrates that significant savings are possible with a robust review and allocation methodology.

Have Questions? Let’s Connect

If you want to learn more about how CMS metrics impact your workers’ compensation program—or explore cost-saving opportunities—contact Dan Anders, Chief Compliance Officer, at Daniel.anders@towermsa.com or call 888.331.4941.

Top 5 Most Listened to Podcast Episode: Medicare Set Asides

November 20, 2024

image of microphone representing medicare set aside podcast

Medicare Set Aside Podcast Featured

We are delighted to announce that our very own Dan Anders, Chief Compliance Officer at Tower MSA Partners, has been featured in the Top 5 Most Listened to Episodes of Berkley Industrial Comp’s Adjusted Podcast!

The Adjusted Podcast recently reached its milestone 100th episode and is celebrating by highlighting its top episodes. Dan’s insightful discussion on Medicare Set Asides has made the list.

Listen to Dan’s episode here: Medicare Set Asides with Dan Anders

In this popular episode, Dan dives deep into the complexities of Medicare Set Asides, offering valuable guidance and expertise that have resonated with professionals across the workers’ compensation industry.

We are incredibly proud of Dan’s contribution and grateful to all the listeners who have made this recognition possible. Your support helps us continue our mission to provide clarity and solutions in the ever-evolving world of Medicare compliance.

Join us in congratulating Dan and the Adjusted Podcast team on this remarkable achievement! Let’s continue to engage, learn, and grow together in the workers’ compensation community.

Subscribe to our blog for more insights and updates from Tower MSA Partners.

Celebrex and Abilify Price Drops Trigger MSA Reductions

December 14, 2020

Vial of pills illustrating MSA Reductions in RX costs

Recently, the lowest average wholesale price of Celebrex 200mg and the price of multiple strengths of Abilify dropped dramatically resulting in major MSA reductions.
 
A widely used, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, Celebrex (Celecoxib), is FDA-approved for several conditions:

  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
  • Acute migraines
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Acute pain
  • Primary dysmenorrhea
  • Rheumatoid arthritis

Per Red Book, the lowest average wholesale price for Celecoxib 200mg dropped from $1.79 to $0.33, an 81.56% price reduction.
 
Abilify (Aripiprazole) is an antipsychotic drug FDA-approved for the following conditions: 

  • Schizophrenia
  • Acute treatment of manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar
  • Adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder
  • Irritability associated with autistic disorder
  • Treatment of Tourette’s disorder

Per Red Book, the lowest average wholesale price for multiple strengths (2mg to 30mg) of Aripiprazole dropped from the $30 to $36 range to a range of $0.07 to $0.17 per dose, an almost 100% price reduction.
 
Tower Action in Response
 
Because Tower’s system tracks all medications allocated in MSA reports, we have already pulled reports from the past two years that allocated these medications and advised clients of the potential for MSA reductions. You can also contact us to determine whether a particular MSA qualifies for MSA reductions.  Revisions to the MSA can be done now or prior to MSA submission to CMS.
 
Please contact Dan Anders, Tower’s Chief Compliance Officer, at Daniel.anders@towermsa.com or (888) 331-4941 with questions.

Need a Medicare Set Aside Second Opinion?

October 27, 2020

nurse conducting research for a Medicare Set Aside Second Opinion in a manual

Has a Medicare Set Aside ever disrupted one of your settlements?  Any one of these things — unexpected medical, surgical or pharmacy costs, compliance issues, the way MSA administration will be handled, or the presence or absence of a structured settlement–can halt negotiations. 

Tower addresses cost drivers and deals with compliance situations long before preparing an MSA, so our clients don’t have to worry about MSAs impeding settlements and injured workers can be assured that their future medical needs will be met . 

However, recently we’ve been asked to review MSAs prepared by other companies and found significant cost drivers and other obstacles to settlements.  Fortunately, our free Medicare Set Aside Second Opinion service saved the settlements and helped to secure claim closures. 

Medicare Set Aside Second Opinion Case Study

Here’s one case. Based on her experience with managing a claim and its costs, an adjuster thought the $220,000 MSA produced by another MSP provider was too high and asked us to review it.

Following our standard workflow for new MSAs, our Intake Team compared the MSA’s “accepted body parts” against the client’s claim system and found significant discrepancies.

The MSA allocated for a lifetime’s supply of sertraline, a drug used to treat anxiety and depression. However, “psyche/stress” was not an accepted body part and the workers’ comp insurer had not been paying for it. 

Tower drafted a Body Part Letter that clarified the compensable conditions and specified those that were not accepted by or paid for by the insurer. Removing the drug from the allocation saved more than $58,000.

This 2nd Opinion review also detected recommendations for inappropriate medical treatment, including an unnecessary bladder surgery. Our Physician Follow Up Service – available at no extra cost to our clients – contacted the physician and obtained written confirmation of this, reducing the allocation by another $37,000+.  We also obtained a rated age from K.P. Underwriting that further reduced the treatment and prescription cost over life expectancy.  The total savings came to over $98,000.

MSA Value is in Claim Closure 

How could we do this when the other provider couldn’t?  It comes down to our philosophy and attitude.

Tower does not treat MSAs as commodities. Instead, we recognize that the real business value of an MSA is in its ability to facilitate claim settlement and closure.

Our role is to collaborate with clients to analyze and assess risk, review medical and pharmacy records to determine Medicare exposure, intervene when treatment changes are needed, and recommend the appropriate time to complete the MSA.

In short, we proactively work to reduce costs and posture files for settlement.

How We Achieve Settlement Success

We created MSA best-practices technology and continually update it to make sure we can always accurately allocate the MSA without overfunding.  Our MSP Automation Suite contains the very latest CMS coverage, coding and individual state pricing data.  We measure everything and analyze CMS responses line by line so we know what the agency will accept, what it won’t and when to push. 

We know where cost drivers tend to hide, and our Intake and Clinical Teams are trained to hunt them down. We know which interventions to apply at the right time to reduce costs.  We know how to phrase treatment and pharmacy changes and supply the precise documentation CMS needs to approve the MSA.

And we do all this the first time around, so you won’t need a second opinion. 


With Tower, payers can enter settlement negotiations with realistic MSAs that they can explain and defend.  (We’ll participate in these negotiations if you’d like.) 

Settle well the first time with Tower. But, if you have a questionable MSA, let us give you our free 2nd opinion. Download more information here or refer an MSA for a 2nd Opinion by contacting our Intake Team at 888-331-4941 or referrals@towermsa.com.

NAMSAP Bulletin Highlights Meeting with CMS on Liability MSA Reviews

August 16, 2018

man holding transparent icons of people with stakeholder in the center

Recently, the National Alliance of Medicare Set-Aside Professionals (NAMSAP) released a Special Edition Bulletin providing insight into a meeting between CMS and NAMSAP representatives on the topic of the planned expansion of the Workers’ Compensation MSA review process to liability MSA Reviews.  NAMSAP’s April 2018 meeting was one of several with stakeholder organizations.

Your writer was one of the NAMSAP representatives who had the privilege of meeting with CMS to hear and discuss how such a Liability MSA Reviews may work.   Mr. Tom Stanley, the Co-Chair of NAMSAP’s Liability Committee provided a summary of the following meeting highlights in the bulletin:

  • CMS stated they have an 18-month timeframe (from April 2018) before it rolls out a LMSA Review program.
  • The program would be voluntary.
  • CMS has indicated that their enforcement mechanism is the denial of services.
  • CMS felt strongly that the injured party must receive something (free and clear) through settlement.
  • CMS would not review an LMSA until Settlement has been reached.
  • CMS feels a LMSA is exclusively the responsibility of the plaintiff.
  • Regarding LMSA’s, CMS made it clear that the defendant(s), and their insurers, are not a target.
  • Medicare pricing of services was discussed.
  • CMS does not feel it can mandate professional administration.
  • CMS would publish a LMSA Reference Guide.
  • Eligibility remains the same as the current WCMSA system – Medicare beneficiaries or injured parties who have a reasonable expectation of Medicare eligibility within 30 months. Per statute, Medicare’s interest must be considered in every claim.
  • A workload threshold of $250,000 is anticipated – “NO SAFE HARBOR”. This level mirrors the $25,000 workload threshold for WCMSA’s.
  • For settlements between $250,000 and $750,000 threshold, CMS approval is available and encouraged by CMS. CMS would apply “a formula” to determine the LMSA amount. Starting with the total settlement amount, CMS would subtract certain expenses and apply the discount factor to total settlement.
  • Above $750,000 level is a full commutation. A traditional MSA would be prepared and, if submitted to CMS, evaluated by CMS for adequacy.

As Mr. Stanley advised, “everything discussed in the meeting was subject to change and related to liability Medicare Set-Asides only.”  I would like to emphasize that point as well.  You should not in anyway take the above points as final, rather they are points of discussion as CMS continues to listen to stakeholders and assess the best method for protecting Medicare’s interests in post-liability settlement injury-related medical.

Importantly, CMS realizes that in protecting those interests an eventual voluntary LMSA review process must continue to provide an incentive for the parties to settle their case.   Consequently, some type of apportionment to ensure the plaintiff receives a portion of the settlement monies is expected in any final review process.

NAMSAP will to continue to dialogue with CMS and also discuss with its membership, both through a webinar and at the annual conference, the points presented by CMS.  Given the launch of a CMS LMSA review process is not expected for some time, Tower MSA Partners will shortly be releasing a white paper on best practices for addressing future medicals in liability settlements.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the topic of LMSAs further, please contact Dan Anders, Chief Compliance Officer, at 888.331.4941 or Daniel.anders@towermsa.com.

Related:

Liability Settlement Solutions

New CMS MSA Review Contractor: Different Name, Same Policy and Procedures

March 7, 2018

logo for cms

While the review contractor is changing, the Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) review policies and procedures remain the same. This was the message related to attendees of the Workers Compensation Review Contractor (WCRC) transition webinar held by CMS, yesterday, March 7, 2018. The purpose of the webinar was to introduce the WCMSA community to the new WCRC and provide information on the transition from Provider Resources, which ceases its work on March 16, 2018, to Capitol Bridge, which commences its work on March 19, 2018.

John Jenkins, CMS’s Health Insurance Specialist overseeing the WCRC contract, led off the presentation and then turned it over to Holly Haven, Capitol Bridge’s WCRC Project Director. Ms. Havens provided the following key information:

What is Not Changing

  • As our program matures, we will strive to improve both the quality of our work and the timeliness in which cases are completed through automation and our continual improvement focus.
  • The review and decision making process will remain the same.
  • WCMSA proposals will continue to be submitted through the portal or by mail to the same Oklahoma City address.
  • All established timeframes remain the same.
  • All inquiries will be handled by staff in our Pittsford, NY office, and customer service will be a priority.
  • Inquiries may still be communicated via telephone.

In summary, Capitol Bridge will continue to be guided by the guidelines laid out in the CMS WCMSA Reference Guide and maintain the 20-business day turnaround time for review of a WCMSA as required by CMS.

What is Changing

  • Processing of all cases will be handled out of their facility in Pittsford, NY.
  • New phone number for the WCRC is (833) 295-3773 with customer service hours from 9am to 5pm EST.
  • Email address for the WCRC is WCRC@capitolbridgellc.com
  • Fax number is (585) 425-5390

In the Q&A session following the formal presentation additional information was provided:

  • WCMSAs will be reviewed by RNs with the MSCC credential.
  • The WCRC staff includes attorneys, physicians and pharmacists.
  • WCMSA proposals which have not been reviewed by the outgoing contractor by March 16 will be transferred to the new contractor for review.
  • In response to a question as whether to expect an MSA backlog such that review times will lengthen, CMS noted that the outgoing contractor was typically completing its reviews in less than the required timeframe of 20 days.The implication then is the new contractor may be using the full 20 business days to complete its review.
  • A question was raised regarding Liability MSAs, but no answer was given as the webinar was not for the purpose of addressing policy questions.

While the CMS WCMSA policy remains the same, the interpretation and implementation of that policy will soon be in new hands. Tower MSA will be closing monitoring WCMSA reviews through Capitol Bridge to ascertain what, if any, differences can be identified in the allocation of care in the WCMSA compared to the prior contractor. Variances outside of established CMS guidelines will be challenged.

If you have any questions, please contact Dan Anders, Chief Compliance Officer, at 888.331.4941 or Daniel.anders@towermsa.com.

What Do Medicare Part D, Medicare Set-Asides and Parenting Have in Common?

March 2, 2018

parenting - father hugging two young children

For those who have raised children, or are in the process of doing so, one of our biggest challenges is to instill in our children some sort of positive decision-making paradigm in our children.  You can call it religious values, moral absolutes, grounding, or just plain common sense, but as parents, we set boundaries (rules) from the earliest age, and try to be consistent in our enforcement.  Our children may think we’re just mean, but this is a price we’re willing to pay if it helps establish an internal barometer to use when approached by people, thoughts and ideas that challenge them.

In raising my three children, one of the techniques I used was a simple, banded bracelet with the acronym, “WWJD” that is, What Would Jesus Do? This was a popular phrase in the Bible Belt where we lived.  I asked that they look at the bracelet each time they were faced with an obstacle or asked to do something that didn’t quite feel right.  One afternoon, my son was telling a story about something that happened at his elementary school that caused him to look at his bracelet. I was so pleased when he said he actually looked at it!  He then responded, “Mom, I tried to decide what Jesus would do, but had a little bit of a tough time, so I switched it in my head to “WWMD”, and I knew exactly what Mom would do!”  I couldn’t help laughing, but based on his response to the situation, my simple reinforcement worked.  At the same time, this also reminded me that our actions speak much louder than our words….children will “do as we do” long before they will ”do as we say.”

How does this relate to Medicare Part D and Medicare Set Asides?

Each day, one of my first activities is to review my Google Alerts to look for news about NGHPs, Medicare Secondary Payer issues and opioids.  This morning, the article that drew my attention was from MedPageToday.com entitled CMS Proposes Opioid Prescribing Limits for Medicare Enrollees.  My first thought in reading the article was that this was great news.

“We are proposing important new actions to reduce seniors’ risk of being addicted to or overdoing it on opioids while still having access to important treatment options,” said Demetrios Kouzoukas, CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare.

“We believe these actions will reduce the oversupply of opioids in our communities.”

Key components of the proposal include:

  • Hard formulary levels at pharmacies that would restrict the amount of opioids beneficiaries could receive
  • Establishment of a safety level of 90 morphine mg equivalent (MME)
  • Limiting the # of pills and days supply in an initial prescription for acute pain

According to Kouzoukas, “these are triggers … [that] can prompt conversations between physicians, patients, and plans about appropriate opioid use and prescribing.”

I then realized what CMS was doing.  CMS was setting boundaries to help physicians, patients and plans make better decisions about opioid use…. the same type of boundaries I set for my children so they would make better decisions as adults.  What a great idea!  If physicians, patients and plans (both Medicare and workers’ compensation) can dialogue before Rxs are filled, better decisions about opioids are inevitable and the frequency of opioid addiction will diminish.

So what’s the problem?

Unfortunately, there remains a problem in the world of workers’ compensation and the WCMSA review process.  While I applaud CMS’s effort, there remains a strong disconnect between CMS’s proactive stance on opioid limitations with Medicare Part D and its opioid-friendly review process for WCMSAs.  At the same time, I must also admit to a similar disconnect between what happens with prescription opioids during the life of a workers’ compensation claim and what we are asking CMS to do when reviewing the MSA at settlement time.  Are we asking  CMS to “do as I say,” instead of providing the example of   “do as I do?”

Can we ‘connect the dots’?

After reading the article, I realized that as an MSP compliance company that has integrated opioid triggers into its Pre-MSA Triage and review process since Day #1, Tower now has a new weapon in its arsenal to assist clients to identify pharmacy obstacles as early possible, and to address issues of inappropriate drug use.  By advising clients to establish and enforce “CMS-like” boundaries at Rx fill time, we have the potential to reduce opioid use in workers’ compensation just as CMS seeks to accomplish with Medicare Part D.  Through such efforts, we can reinforce dialogue between physicians, claimants and workers’ compensation plans before the Rx is filled, and hopefully facilitate better decisions about the first opioid Rx.

And as for the disconnect between Medicare Part D and the WCMSA review process, we cannot force CMS to change its WCMSA prescription drug review process.  We can, however, leverage CMS’s expertise to support better outcomes with Medicare beneficiaries, MSAs and settlements by mirroring their Medicare Part D policies and processes within the workers’ compensation PBM model.  In doing so, we provide CMS with a positive example of their own recommendations implemented successfully, and can hopefully encourage them to “do as we do.

Conclusion

So how do we affect change in opioid prescribing habits in workers’ compensation?  It’s as simple as the bracelet I gave my children.  From Day #1 of a claim involving an active or soon to be active Medicare beneficiary, we continually ask the question, “What Would Medicare Do?” and we execute.

CMS Webinar to Introduce New MSA Review Contractor

March 1, 2018

logo for cms

Effective March 19, 2018, Capitol Bridge, LLC will be taking over responsibilities from Provider Resources as CMS’s Workers Compensation Review Contractor (WCRC). CMS has now announced a webinar set for Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 1:00 PM ET to introduce the new MSA review contractor. See CMS Notice which includes a link to register for the webinar.

Capitol Bridge becomes the third company since 2003 to be awarded the WCRC contract. The contractor is charged with evaluating Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside (WCMSA) proposals submitted to CMS for review and approval. Using criteria set by CMS, it makes recommendations to the designated CMS Regional Office (RO) as to whether the proposed MSA amount adequately protects Medicare’s interests. If the WCRC disagrees with the proposal it will provide an alternate recommendation, either higher or lower, than the proposed amount. The CMS RO usually accepts the recommendation from the WCRC and issues the approval letter to the submitter of the MSA.

Besides the transition to the new contractor, what is unique about Capitol Bridge’s contract with CMS is the inclusion of a provision providing for the optional expansion of its MSA review responsibilities to liability and no-fault cases as early as July 1, 2018. We caution though that CMS has not announced that such an expansion will occur on July 1, 2018.

Tower MSA applauds CMS for inviting those impacted by the contractor change to this introductory webinar. On the heels of the January webinar introducing the new CRC contractor, we are pleased with more transparency by CMS in its process and policy changes. If you are unable to attend CMS’s webinar, Tower MSA will provide a summary of relevant information on our MSP Compliance Blog following the presentation.

CMS Statement on Opioids and WCMSAs Provides Little Clarity as to Future Review Practices

December 27, 2017

In a recent post on its website, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) acknowledged the opioid crisis in this country, but provided little clarity as to how it intends to address this crisis in its review and approval of Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Asides (WCMSAs).

The 12/14/2017 statement provides as follows:

CMS understands the concerns regarding the opioid crisis occurring in the United States. We are committed to ensuring the determination of Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set Aside Arrangement (WCMSA) amounts are an adequate projection of claimant’s needs for future medical services and prescription drugs. CMS continually evaluates all policies and procedures related to WCMSA amounts. Any changes that Medicare pursues related to this issue will be reflected in our WCMSA amount review process.

More information on the WCMSA process can be found in the WCMSA Reference Guide.

We assume the above statement may be, in part, related to the California Workers Compensation Institute (CWCI) study finding nearly 70% of CMS approved MSAs require funding of opioids over an injured worker’s life expectancy (See our article, Opioids in the MSA . . . Challenges and Strategies, where this study is discussed). While we credit CMS’s Office of Financial Management (the CMS department which oversees the WCMSA review program and contractor) with recognizing the opioid crisis, what is left uncertain is what specific actions CMS is to take to address this problem in WCMSAs. Instead, CMS provides a vague statement indicating any changes related to the opioid issue will be reflected in its WCMSA review process and then cites its WCMSA Reference Guide.

CMS does not cite to a particular section of the guide, but we assume the following would be the most pertinent:

Drug Weaning/Tapering

Drug weaning commonly occurs with pain medications, such as opioids, especially when claimants’ work injuries improve. The WCRC takes all evidence of drug weaning into account, although in most circumstances the WCRC cannot assume that the weaning process will be successful. Usually, the latest weaned dosage is extrapolated for the life expectancy, but again, they assess all records when making these types of determinations. Where a treating physician believes tapering is possible and in the best interests of the claimant, CMS will consider all evidence in making a WCMSA determination, including medical evidence of current actual tapering.

Based upon the Tower MSA CMS Reconciliation Module, which reviews all MSA determinations for the purpose of identifying trends in CMS WCMSA allocation practices, CMS consistently disregards any active weaning or tapering process or scheduled reduction to future medication use and instead takes the latest dosage found in the medical records and/or prescription history and extrapolates it over the claimant’s life expectancy.

The question then is whether this December 2017 statement signals a departure by CMS from these past practices to a policy which will now give more weight to a weaning or tapering schedule from the treating physician which translates into limitations on the allocation of opioids in the WCMSA. We will take a wait and see approach in this regard.

It should be understood though that even were CMS to limit the allocation of opioids in the WCMSA, this in no way prevents the claimant from using the WCMSA funds for filling opioid prescriptions in excess of what is allocated. The reason being is CMS rules for administering a WCMSA allow for the funds in the account to be used for any Medicare-covered injury-related treatment or medication. As such, with a valid prescription, there is nothing to stop a claimant from converting funds allocated to a surgery to pay for medications, including opioids. It will remain then in the hands of the claimant’s medical provider to wean the claimant off opioids and other medications not intended for long-term use.

Practical Implications

As always, we will monitor CMS WCMSA determinations for signs of any changes to their allocating practices for prescription medications, especially in regard to opioids. However, we have to assume that until we see any changes, CMS will continue to follow its policy of taking the most recent medication dosage and frequency and pricing it out over the claimant’s life expectancy.

What this means then is opioid misuse must be addressed prior to submission of a WCMSA to CMS with any actual elimination of opioids documented in the medical records prior to submission of the MSA. Tower MSA is committed to working with our clients on reduction and elimination of opioids prior to CMS submission. Our Pre-MSA triage service is uniquely designed to identify such MSA cost-drivers and recommend intervention strategies, including escalating the matter to our Internal Pharm. D. for direct contact with the treating physician. Resulting reductions in opioid use limit MSA costs to the employer and provide for a healthier injured worker over his or her lifetime.

Please contact Dan Anders at Daniel.anders@towermsa.com or (888) 331-4941 with any questions regarding CMS practices in allocation of prescription medications in the WCMSA.

Opioids in the MSA… Challenges and Strategies

November 3, 2017

If seeing the word opioids one more time doesn’t trigger some sort of reaction, whether sadness, anger, desperation, or possibly hope at what appears to be traction to ‘Turn the Tide’ of addiction, then I can only surmise that you must live under a rock! That certainly isn’t the case here, as in our world of MSP compliance, the word opioids is either read, spoken or written every single day. It permeates our industry and our lives.

The most recent example of the profound impact opioids continue to have on workers’ compensation, the MSP industry, and specifically on the Medicare Set Aside (MSA), came from a study released earlier this week by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute (http://www.cwci.org). Those who saw the study became painfully aware that in the state of California,

“Nearly 70% of federally mandated and approved Medicare settlements for injured workers require funding for decades of opioid use, often at dangerously high levels and in conjunction with other high-risk drugs.”

CWCI study and key findings

The CWCI examined data from 7,926 California WCMSA plans completed, submitted and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2015 and 2016. To achieve a representative cross section of the state’s MSA cases, the authors compiled its dataset of 7,926 WCMSAs from four national vendors whose work product represented more than 50% of the state’s MSA market.

Overall findings were as follows:

  • $103,393 Average CMS approved WCMSA
  • $48,986 Average RX$ (47.6% of MSA)
  • 69.4% % WCMSAs with opioids (twice the rate of any other drug class)
  • Norco / Vicodin were included in 44% of the opioid inclusive WCMSAs

Also significant were CWCI’s findings when the authors compared opioids found in WCMSAs to a case-matched control group of closed workers’ comp permanent disability claims for similar injuries. This comparison demonstrated that the WCMSA allocations included much stronger opioids, with average morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) at 45 times the level used in the control group during the life of the claim. In addition, the WCMSAs with opioids required funding for an average daily dose of 54.7 morphine equivalents (MEDs) for a period of 20.9 years.

An industry’s call to action

The realization that opioids represent a major problem with the WCMSA did not come as a surprise to Tower, or to the National Alliance of MSA Professionals (NAMSAP). For the past 2 years, NAMSAP, through its Evidence Based Medicine and Data and Development committees, has been working tirelessly to educate the MSP community as to what happens in the MSA when opioids are prescribed over the life of the claim and remain as standard treatment when the MSA is prepared and submitted to CMS. NAMSAP has hosted multiple webinars to bring industry, regulatory and legislative experts together to discuss the opioid impact, and sent representatives to Washington to discuss our concerns with CMS. At our most recent annual conference, NAMSAP hosted Assistant Surgeon General, RADM Pamela Schweitzer, Pharm.D., BCACP, who shared both her concern for our situation, and her enthusiasm for our passion and our efforts.

With a singular focus among our members, I am hopeful that NAMSAP can successfully modify prescribing behavior and ultimately impact WCMSA outcomes. Unfortunately, this doesn’t benefit carriers, employers, third party administrators and injured workers today.

What are we doing now?

At Tower, the issue of opioid misuse and the importance of pre-MSA intervention has been in the forefront of our business model, our technology platform and our workflow from day 1. Our Pre-MSA Triage service identifies issues long before the MSA and provides practical recommendations to address obstacles. Our integrated technology platform tracks pharmacy triggers and interventions, escalates to our Internal Pharm. D. to contact the treating physician and diaries to track progress until treatment has been optimized. We then finalize the MSA and submit to CMS for approval.

The result of our workflow, our technology and the internal team of clinical, legal and medical experts we’ve built is a streamlined, end-to-end process that identifies issues, tracks progress and drives results for our clients.

Results achieved across all clients:

  • $59,070 Average CMS approved (Non-Zero) WCMSA$
  • 58.7% CMS approved WCMSAs with $0 Pharmacy
  • 22.6% CMS approved WCMSAs that include opioids
  • 61.4% MSA savings through integrated Rx interventions

These are numbers we track monthly through our CMS Reconciliation Module to confirm that CMS performance continues to improve. Our belief is that until prescribing habits change and best practices in opioid treatment can be implemented and enforced, our responsibility is to drive better outcomes through both formal intervention services and consultative oversight. Our clear focus is to limit pharmacy to those medications that are appropriate for long term use, to discontinue opioids where possible and to reduce MED to the lowest level possible when opioids must be included in the WCMSA.

Conclusion

In the words of HHS Secretary, Tom Price, M.D. and Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump,

“Ending the opioid epidemic will require an all hands on deck effort”.

Stay tuned.