Brigette Nelson of Express Scripts & Michael Stack of Amaxx To Speak On Opioid Abuse Solution

Managing Morphine Equivalent Dose to Address Solutions for Stakeholders Seeking to Reduce Work Comp Costs

 

HINGHAM, Massachusetts – Stopping the prescription drug epidemic in the United States and its devastating impact on the workers’ compensation system is the focus of an upcoming presentation at the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit in Atlanta March 28-31^st. Brigette Nelson, Senior Vice President of Workers’ Compensation Clinical Management at Express Scripts, and Michael Stack, Principal of Amaxx, a national leader in reducing workers’ compensation program costs, will be headlining the discussion on the effective use of Morphine Equivalent Dose (MED) management.

 

“Notwithstanding all the discussions about the drug epidemic within the workers’ compensation system, interested stakeholders are failing to implement common sense reforms within the programs,” said Brigette Nelson, Senior Vice President of Workers’ Compensation Clinical Management at Express Scripts. Nelson continued, “I am excited to be a part of the discussion and look forward to offering solutions to address real issues driving up costs in the workers’ compensation system.”

 

Morphine Equivalent Dose (MED) is a calculation used to compare and contrast different pain medications to one another. Express Scripts’ MED program calculates the narcotic medication’s morphine-like potency, or MED, at the time it is being filled (before it has been dispensed to the injured worker). This helps reduce the chances an injured worker will become addicted to prescription pain medication, and can be particularly effective in preventing overdose in those claimant’s consuming 100mg or more of narcotic pain medications.

 

According to Stack, “The goal of effective MED management is to make sure the injured worker receives the care they are entitled to, but at the same time avoid future problems of addiction.” The concept is gaining acceptance nationwide in addressing the issues faced by countless workers’ compensation programs. “The key to the program is controls at the point of sale to ensure only safe medications are dispensed. This program is helping injured workers avoid problems related to prescription drug abuse, and cutting costs” said Stack.

 

Nelson added, “The goal of the MED program is to not only start a discussion, but provide some real life examples of how MED management works. Studies demonstrate that when properly implemented, workers’ compensation programs not only reduce the medical portion of a claim, but return employees to work faster.” Stack also pointed out other benefits of implementing MED management in a workers’ compensation program. “Everyone has a win through MED management, including the injured worker.”

 

The presentation titled Pharmacy Pain Points: Ensuring Safety of Morphine Equivalent Dose will take place on Wednesday, March 30, at 3:30pm as as part of the Third Party Payer track at the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit.