Aggregate Trends for Top 10 Therapeutic Classes in 2019
1 MIN READ
In 2019, the top 10 therapeutic classes accounted for 76.8% of all scripts and 79.6% of all costs.
Tips for Keeping Insurance Professionals Engaged While Working Remotely [Infographic]
As the global workforce trends towards remote work environments, employers need to learn how to navigate a new normal. Supervisors are now responsible for remote workforce management, which comes with its own set of unique challenges and opportunities. If your team has recently started working remotely, several key tips and strategies will help you encourage productivity and keep your teams on task.
How COVID-19 Presumption Laws Might Affect the Workers' Compensation Industry
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the discussion of presumption laws to the forefront, as states examine whether workers’ compensation should cover workers if they contract COVID-19 on the job. Many states have passed legislation or executive orders requiring insurers to cover essential workers who test positive for the virus. Depending on the state, the definition of “essential worker” might be limited to just healthcare and frontline workers, or it may include a wide range of occupations.
Specialty Drugs' Impact on Overall Costs in 2019
1 MIN READ
First Script overall prescription trends saw a slight upward shift in 2019. We’ll take a closer look at some of the specialty medication classes and specific drugs driving this shift and their impacts on overall costs, such as those from the hematological class, HIV medications, and one novel topical eye disorder treatment.
Top-Ranking Drug Classes in 2019
5 MIN READ
As part of our annual drug trends series, we’re taking a deeper dive into some of the therapeutic classes showing the biggest increases among the top 10 ranked by cost from our 2019 analysis.
Opioid Trends Continue to Decline in 2019
1 MIN READ
First Script saw continued decreasing opioid trends across our retail and mail-order programs in 2019, even while overall prescription trends saw a slight upward shift in utilization per claim and cost per claim. Even with these changes, opioids remain the #1 therapeutic class by usage and cost, however, 2019 marked the largest reduction of the last 5 years in the percentage of opioid scripts with greater than or equal to 90 MED.
Potential Drug Therapy Treatments for COVID-19: Impact on Workers’ Compensation
5 MIN READ
As response to the COVID-19 pandemic shifts into new phases—parts of the United States are reopening and businesses and many states are considering how to get people back to work—scientists continue to research potential medications that could be used to treat the disease.