New York ranked high in long-term opioid use among injured workers

[hrmjustin]

Laura Nahmias

ALBANY—Between 2010 and 2012, New York state’s injured workers had one of the highest rates of prescription narcotics in the country, a new study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute shows.

The study, which examined 25 states that make up 70 percent or more of workers’ compensation claims in the country, showed that 1 in 9 New York workers who received pain medication after taking off more than seven days, were still using opiate drugs months after their first prescription.

The study examined a period of time before New York implemented a new law called I-STOP, the Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing, intended to stem abuse of prescription drugs like Oxycodone and Hydrocodone.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/05/8545091/new-york-ranked-high-long-term-opioid-use-among-injured-workers