Workers’ compensation claims are seeing the effects of 29 states now permitting the use of medical marijuana. Insurers have been ordered to reimburse for medical marijuana. This has resulted in a significant decrease in the cost of prescription medication and many individuals are even abandoning their prescriptions in favor of medical marijuana. However, the increased use of medical marijuana can pose challenges such as measuring impairment in the workplace. Risk managers and employers will have to change the way they think about being fit for duty at work. Other alternatives to chronic pain management, such as early intervention programs, have shown excellent results in decreasing overall medication usage. In 2016, DORN’s pain mitigation programs showed a 42% decrease in prescription medication usage, over the counter medication usage, and in medical marijuana use.
Read the full article by Louise Esola on BusinessInsurance.com here.
