Do Injured Workers Receive Opioid Prescriptions Outside the Workers’ Compensation System?: The Case of Private Group Health Insurances
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Asfaw, Abay; Quay, Brian; Chang, Chia-Chia
- Source
- Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Sep 01, 2020 62(9):e515-e522
- Subject
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1076-2752
OBJECTIVES:: We explored the impact of workplace injury on receiving opioid prescriptions from employer-sponsored private group health insurances (GHI) and how long injured workers receive opioid prescriptions after injury. METHODS:: We used a difference-in-differences method and MarketScan databases for the years 2013 to 2015. RESULTS:: Estimated odds for injured workers relative to noninjured workers to receive opioid prescriptions from the GHI within 60 and 180 days from the index date of injury were 4.9 and 1.5, respectively. In addition, the number of opioid prescriptions received within 60 days of injury was 2.5 times higher. CONCLUSION:: Workplace injury could be a risk factor for both short and long-term prescription opioid use. Studies that use only workers’ compensation medical claim data likely underestimate the magnitude of the impact of workplace injuries on opioid prescriptions.