Attendees of the 2018 National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference shared their thoughts on the challenges and trends unfolding ahead.

Cannabis shows promise as a non-opioid treatment for pain, but dosing uncertainty and the plant’s Schedule 1 status will need to be resolved first.

The Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force released new guidance for pain management in the United States in the age of the opioid epidemic.

As the opioid epidemic rages on, a lack of consistent standards of care exposes healthcare providers to liability. Insurers are formulating a response.

When a claim stalls, it’s time to call in medical professionals to apply fresh clinical eyes to the case at hand.

Tailoring treatment to a patient’s individual reaction to pain can yield better outcomes for injured workers and payers.

Simple injuries that spiral into catastrophic claims account for a disproportionate share of overall workers’ comp dollars. Understanding how we think about pain can go a long way toward developing effective treatment strategies.

For every person who dies from opioid overdose, 50 more individuals have an opioid use disorder and 272 misuse prescription opioids in some way. The time to change is now.

A variety of painkillers make the list, but they aren’t the only drugs that threaten patient safety and compromise outcomes.

Workers’ comp opioid addiction is a murky area. While we are helping curb new addictions, we’re still failing a number of employees already dependent.

To improve the odds of injured workers recovering from injuries without opioids, employers have tools and strategies at their disposal.

All the elements are in place for opioid settlements to run into the multiples of millions.

It’s not news that the opioid epidemic continues to spread. But nurses know how to intervene and stop addiction.

Among the annual toll in the U.S. opioid epidemic are up to 5,000 hospital inpatients. The drugs they are legally prescribed are creating liability issues for pharmacists as well as physicians.

The decline of opioids is encouraging, but increased positive tests in methamphetamine and cocaine should be seen as a wake-up call for public safety.

Opioids were supposed to help. Instead, their addictive power harmed many, and calls for accountability are broadening.

Opioids have increased demand for treatment center beds, addiction specialists and foster families to critical levels. Providers are feeling the pinch.

Other pain relief therapies hold substantial promise in defeating drug dependency.

Prescription monitoring programs are a prime tool in the fight against opioid abuse. Unfortunately there are barriers to access.

Workers’ comp professionals have a broad array of tools at their disposal to help combat the ongoing problem of opioid abuse.