From medical to recreational, marijuana laws are changing across the board. Here’s a look back on some 2018 cannabis decisions and facts and what they could mean for workers’ comp.

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.

Broadspire’s Marcos Iglesias and attorney Stuart Colburn will help employers and payers separate cannabis fact from cannabis fiction at NWCDC in Las Vegas.

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

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

As cannabis slowly achieves acceptance for treating workers’ comp injuries, reimbursement for the rave drug ecstasy may not be far behind.

When dealing with injured workers, you’re dealing with human beings, and there is nothing more fragile than humans.

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

Workers’ comp providers can work with doctors, adjusters and patients to get a handle on pain prescriptions.

Presumption laws combined with newer, more expensive cancer drugs are a one-two punch municipalities can ill afford.

An exploratory program may help identify answers for some of the thorny issues surrounding medical marijuana in workers’ comp.

Two recent court decisions have claims payers talking: Should injured employees be able to choose their preferred pharmacy?

A Kentucky Supreme Court ruling confirms and codifies employee choice in matters of pharmacy.

Dispensers are using loopholes to circumvent reforms. But PBMs and payers are pushing back.

In the face of uncertainty, stay focused on what’s in your control.

With access to PDMP data, pharmacy benefit managers could be an important ally in the fight against opioid addiction.

Liberty Mutual appears to be the first carrier to create a workflow process for evaluating medical marijuana expense reimbursement requests.

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

Working through realistic scenarios, veteran workers’ compensation experts pointed out flaws in claims management.