San Francisco, CA – State Compensation Insurance Fund, California’s stable provider of workers’ compensation insurance, has significantly reduced the number of opioid prescriptions for injured workers by 60 percent since launching its opioid-reduction program in 2014.
State Fund implemented a comprehensive opioid-reduction strategy that took a two-pronged approach, which included: 1) early prevention in new cases and 2) reduction of chronic opioid usage in existing cases.
“The opioid-reduction plan implemented by our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Dinesh Govindarao, and his team has been remarkably successful,” said Vern Steiner, President and CEO of State Fund. “Through this effort, we have helped to improve – and potentially save – the lives of many injured workers, while also reducing expenses in the workers’ compensation system for California businesses.”
The strategy also included elements such as a peer-to-peer physician review program, education for injured workers and treating physicians, and a functional restoration program for injured workers taking chronic, high levels of opioids. Additional results include:
“Peer-to-peer education of prescribing physicians has been instrumental in the success of State Fund’s opioid-reduction program,” said Dr. Dinesh Govindarao, Chief Medical Officer of State Fund. “Not all providers have adequate training on pain management and opioid prescribing, and many patients don’t understand the impacts of their medications, which is why education about appropriate and alternative treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, has been a key focus area for our program.”
State Fund will continue to focus on reducing opioids by:
State Fund’s opioid-reduction program is one way the organization fulfills its purpose to provide fairly priced workers’ compensation insurance, make workplaces safe and restore injured workers.
Established in 1914 by the state legislature, State Fund is California’s stable provider of workers’ compensation insurance and a vital asset to California businesses. State Fund supports California’s entrepreneurial spirit and plays a stabilizing role in the economy by providing fairly priced workers’ compensation insurance, helping California employers keep their workplaces safe, and restoring injured workers.
