Research

A CWCI Report to the Industry analyzes 2017-2023 opioid prescription data extracted from the California Department of Justices Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) database to track opioid utilization in the state, noting the percentage change in the number of opioid patients overall and within the workers compensation system from 2017 through 2023. The report measures changes in the average strength of the daily dose of morphine equivalents (the morphine equivalent dose or MED) and the average duration of opioid use for workers comp opioid patients and compares the results to the treatment guideline recommended levels to identify the proportion of patients whose opioid use exceeded guideline recommendations and how these proportions changed over time.

Are Migraine Drugs Becoming a New WC Rx Cost Driver? A new CWCI study looks at recent increases in the utilization and reimbursement of Migraine Drugs in California workers' compensation and highlights 6 high-cost brand drugs that have helped fuel that growth.

A report highlighting recent results and trends from the latest update to CWCI's Claims Monitoring Interactive Application which features AY 2009 – AY 2023 data (valued as of December 2023) on average medical payments, average paid indemnity, and combined medical and indemnity payments at nine levels of development ranging from 3 months to 72 months post injury. The report also provides a refresher on how the Application is formatted and how CWCI members can use it.

CWCI's updated analysis of the impact of the new Med-Legal Fee Schedule based on data through October 2023.

A CWCI Legislative Impact Report examines the issues surrounding SB 1299, a bill that would give farmworker heat-related injury claims a presumption of compensability if the employer is found non-compliant with Cal/OSHA's outdoor heat standard.

A CWCI Research Update report uses HCAI data to monitor trends in the utilization of inpatient care in California workers comp from 2012 through 2022, comparing the workers comp trends to those in Medicare, Medi-Cal and private coverage. The report also reviews changes in the types of conditions treated and the services delivered to injured workers before and after the pandemic was declared in 2020; takes a focused look at the primary diagnoses underlying inpatient hospitalizations involving spinal fusions and major joint replacement surgeries; and examines how the growth of outpatient surgery is affecting the total number of injured worker hospitalizations.