50 likes | 67 Views
Learn about the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic on workers' compensation, including increased costs, addiction and abuse, and additional medical care. Join our nationwide subrogation practice to recover on behalf of workers' compensation carriers.
E N D
SUBROGATION AND THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC Richard Gerber, Member Matt Leffler, Member
OPIOID EPIDEMIC IN U.S. • Opioid Prescriptions Up 400% Since 1999 • In 2016 • 42,249 People Died From Overdosing on Opioids • 11.5 Million Misused Prescription Opioids • 2.1 Million People Misused Prescription Opioids For The First Time • $504,000,000,000 In Economic Costs • All statistics provided by U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
OPIOID EPIDEMIC & WORKERS’ COMPENSATION • Workers’ Compensation Industry Spends Approximately $3 Billion a Year on Pain Medication. • Of the $3 Billion a Year; $2 Billion a Year are Spent Specifically on Opioid Prescriptions. • Prior to 2016 When C.D.C. Guidelines Recommended Doctors Avoid Issuing Opioid Prescriptions for Longer than 3 Days; 99% of Doctors Were Prescribing Opioids for Longer Than 3 Days. • A 2012 Hopkins-Accident Research Fund Study Found that Employees Prescribed Even One Opioid Had Average Total Claim Costs 4 to 8 Times Great Than Employees with Similar Claims Who Did Not Take Opioids. • Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries Found that 42% of Employees with Back Injuries Received an Opioid Prescription. After 1 Year, 16% of Those Employees Were Still Taking Opioids. • All Non-Cited Statistics from Effective Cost Based Management, Jeffrey Forbes, August 31, 2017
OPIOID EPIDEMIC & WORKERS’ COMPENSATION • Opioid Addiction/Abuse Leads to Higher……. • Opioid Prescriptions for Workers • Addiction Treatment • Additional TTD • Additional Time Off Work • Additional Medical Care Related to Addiction • Death Benefits & Burial Costs Associated With Overdose and Related Medical Conditions
EVANS & DIXON AND SUBROGATION • Nationwide Subrogation Practice. • Multi-District Litigation in the Northern District of Ohio Including Cities, Counties, States & Third Party Payers. • Defendants are Drug Manufacturers and Distributors Who Fraudulently Pushed and Marketed Opioids Without Full Disclosure. • We are Putting Together a Team of Insurers to Join the Litigation to Recover on Behalf of Workers Compensation Carriers. • Time is of the Essence!