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There are cases in which opioids might be the best treatment for an injured worker. But physicians need to be able to tell whether a treatment is working and use the right yardstick.

It seems the recent attention on opioid abuse is paying off. A new study shows the use of these narcotics to treat pain among injured workers has dropped in the last year.

Education is the cornerstone of a new federal effort to prevent opioid abuse. The Food and Drug Administration approved a program to require opioid manufacturers to enlighten providers and patients on the dangers of the drugs.

In Connecticut, the direct and natural consequence rule should be utilized in analyzing the causation in cases involving a subsequent injury or an aggravation of an earlier, primary injury.

"Texas is now leading the charge in combating overutilization of unnecessary prescription drugs in the workers' compensation system," said Rod Bordelon, the state's workers' comp commissioner, after the preliminary results of a study of changes in the system.

"Narcotics use in workers' compensation is becoming more common," says a new NCCI study. "In 2008, over one-third of claimants with prescriptions received narcotics, up from 27 percent in 2001."

In New York, a medical opinion regarding causation need not be expressed with absolute or reasonable certainty.

A worker who suffered a knee injury has been treated with pain medications, arthroscopic surgery, and physical therapy. During the course of treatment, it was discovered that the patient suffered from a variety of comorbidities.

Reducing prescription drug abuse and the associated high costs is the idea behind Get Ahead of the Claim, a pharmacy benefit management company's program aimed at injured workers.

Drug testing workers' comp claimants as a way to monitor and control the use of opioids is on the rise. However, a new report raises questions about drug testing's effectiveness and costs, possibly warranting new rules and regulations.

"Studies have shown that injured workers placed on high dose opioids early in the post-injury period may experience a slower recovery, more difficulty with returning to work, more difficulty with weaning, and more frequently end up on long term opioids," says the Connecticut Workers' Compensation Commission's updated medical protocols.

The opioid epidemic in the workers' comp system was first highlighted in a study released by the California Workers' Compensation Institute in 2010. The main researcher, Alex Swedlow, is among the nation's highest-level thought leaders on the subject and a featured speaker at this year's conference.

Here's the good news: The Americans with Disabilities Act does not require employers to accommodate their employees who have medical marijuana cards -- even in states where it is legal. Here's the bad news: Employers may be exposed under state law.

Employers can protect themselves from some of the gray areas of medical marijuana by instituting drug-free workplace policies. Wording such as the following may help prevent liability.

In Louisiana, an employer's failure to pay an injured worker for prescription medications on multiple occasions will result in an assessment of multiple penalties, up to the statutory maximum of $8,000.

The Bureau of Workers' Compensation proposed amendments to a rule regarding the outpatient medical formulary.

The use of narcotics among workers' comp claimants with an injury that was one year old or less has decreased, according to a new report.

In Louisiana, an employer is required to reimburse a worker for the necessary medical expenses he paid for out-of-pocket.

The Workers' Compensation Court approved treatment guidelines for the use of Schedule II drugs.

A model law for states to address high-priced repackaged drugs being sold from physicians' offices may be forthcoming.