NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MagnaCare, a leader in health plan management services, announced today a new Opioid Oversight Program that aims to help labor organizations account for their workers’ safety and productivity, while also reducing associated costs. MagnaCare developed the unique program in response to the staggering rates of opioid abuse occurring nationwide and to address the epidemic’s devastating impact on the workplace.
While it is often assumed that opioids primarily affect young people, opioid misuse and related deaths occur most frequently within the working age population — those between ages 25 and 54. As a result, workplaces across the nation are facing significant safety and work quality challenges. Overuse of opioids also contributes to additional health care costs that severely burden plan sponsors, both of whom already pay annual premiums of over $18,000 for employer-sponsored family health coverage. While plan sponsors are heavily burdened by opioid abuse, they are also uniquely positioned to respond to the crisis.
“MagnaCare’s new Opioid Oversight Program comes at a time of great need — a time when Americans consume 75 percent of the world’s opioid supply, despite making up just five percent of the world’s population,” said Michelle Zettergren, President of MagnaCare. “The disastrous impact of our country’s opioid epidemic has serious implications for the work environment, making it critical for employers and plan sponsors to take any steps they can to ensure the safety of their employees and members in the workplace. The Opioid Oversight Program will help plan sponsors in executing this important goal.”
The Opioid Oversight Program will help plan sponsors better regulate opioid use among plan members, thereby increasing workplace safety and members’ quality of life, all while reducing the burden of medical and pharmacy costs. Since most opioid addictions stem from medical prescriptions for pain relief, employers and plan sponsors have the ability to leverage their access to members’ pharmacy and medical data, as well as observation of workplace behavior, to identify and respond to potential opioid abuse.
“MagnaCare’s Opioid Oversight Program, the first of its kind, recognizes the differences between new opioid users and those who have been on long-term opioid treatment for pain management, and is uniquely tailored to address their distinct needs,” said Dr. A. Bartley Bryt, Chief Medical Officer. “For new users, this means early intervention that helps them avoid addiction, while for long-term users, the program focuses on providing a structured support system to help individuals manage the conditions leading to opioid use and misuse.”
The Opioid Oversight Program goes beyond just providing support. It also works with plan sponsors and contracted pharmacies to notify them when a member fills multiple opioid prescriptions written by different doctors, implements a medical review process before enabling refills, and monitors prescriptions and dosages to help support physician-directed intervention programs.
The program is already being rolled out to plan sponsors for implementation. For more information visit: www.magnacare.com
About MagnaCare
For more than 25 years, MagnaCare has been building health communities together with Taft-Hartley funds, TPAs, carriers, and worker’s compensation and no-fault payors in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area. Its broad and wholly owned network, full health plan management services, comprehensive in-house medical management, and leading outcomes-based casualty solutions offer the ultimate flexibility and customization that help customers control health care costs, improve health, and achieve exceptional value. MagnaCare is a division of Brighton Health Plan Solutions, LLC.
Visit www.magnacare.com
MEDIA CONTACT: Anna Clark, Brighton Health Plan Solutions, (212) 784-5715, AClark@groupgordon.com