The Travelers Companies Inc credits the use of its Early Severity Predictor model in its announcement that it has achieved a 30% reduction in the use of opioids among the more than 500,000 injured US employees it has helped since 2015.
The Early Severity Predictor model identifies the likelihood that an injured patient will develop chronic pain—reportedly a leading cause of opioid dependency.
Results from the model are then shared with the injured employee’s physician, allowing them to identify effective treatment alternatives, such as physical therapy, according to a media release from The Travelers Companies Inc.
In some cases, surgery—along with the prolonged use of opioids—can be avoided altogether. Since January 2016, surgeries for the company’s workers compensation cases have fallen by 25%, and those who received alternative treatment methods recovered and returned to work 10% faster than those who did not, the release continues.
“Surgical procedures used to correct common workplace injuries are oftentimes followed by an opioid prescription for pain,” says Dr Adam Seidner, global medical director at Travelers, who is also an addiction specialist.
“Physical therapy and other treatments limit the employee’s exposure to opioids and often produce better long-term medical outcomes,” he adds.
Since implementing the Early Severity Predictor model in early 2015, The Travelers Companies Inc has helped employers reduce medical expenses on workers’ compensation claims by up to 50%, per the release.
[Source(s): The Travelers Companies Inc, Business Wire]
