National Webinars

myMatrixx Chief Clinical Officer Phil Walls joined John Ruser, PhD, President and CEO of the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute for an on-demand webinar. The presentation, Key Factors that Are Impacting Pharmaceutical Spend in Workers’ Compensation, covers ongoing and emerging trends in the industry, including data and analysis from the 2020 myMatrixx Drug Trend Report.

Despite fewer vehicles on the road since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, commercial transportation has remained steady. With a higher concentration of truckers and other delivery drivers on American roadways, these essential workers are facing a number of unique challenges — from longer shifts to behavioral health concerns. As a result of this new environment, there is also growing concern about a rise in work-related injuries among this population.

From its synthesis by Dr. Paul Janssen in 1960 to its illegal synthesis by George Marquardt, a high school dropout and self-taught chemist, fentanyl plays a significant role in today’s drug abuse epidemic. Our Chief Clinical Officer Phil Walls explains why fentanyl has gained momentum as an alternative to heroin, and what we can do to mitigate the risks posed to first responders.

Many Americans are facing high rates of depression, insomnia, anxiety and substance abuse as a result of isolation brought on by the pandemic and the resulting quarantine. In this session, our Chief Clinical Officer, Phil Walls, and our client, Niki Moore with Publix, discuss how a similar sequence of events occurs following a severe injury: homebound isolation, loss of productive activity and exposure to powerful drugs to treat pain and mental health issues.

COVID-19 is changing many aspects of modern life, and many of those changes will have long-lasting effects. Drug development is one of those aspects. In this edition of CompTalks, put on by the National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference (NWCDC), Phil Walls takes us on a Race for the Cure as he examines how both the pandemic as well as politics have influenced drug and vaccine development for the coronavirus.

In a very short period of time, COVID-19 fundamentally altered the landscape of work in the United States. In workers’ compensation, the ongoing pandemic has raised questions about when coronavirus infection is covered under state laws, how to treat it and how to minimize risk in the workplace. Although the answers are still coming into focus, objective information will be essential to achieving positive outcomes for workers, businesses and payers alike.

Is Urine Drug Testing (UDT) the next “physician dispensing” of workers’ comp? Finding a balance between appropriate drug screening and the use of diagnostic clinical testing with the overuse and sometimes egregious prices of these critical services has emerged as a hot topic. This webinar will help you understand what you should expect to pay--and equally important, what you should expect to get.

In an effort to tighten controls on prescription drug abuse, physicians must comply with multiple pain management requirements and guidelines. How are physicians adopting these guidelines in their practice and are they working? How does this adoption affect the claims you manage? And what’s new on the legislative horizon?

One of the leading injuries resulting in a work comp claim is a broken bone or fracture. Most heal on their own and the normal course of care can be expected; however, what happens when this is not the case? Do you know which of your injured workers are at high risk for non-healing fractures? What intervention is needed and how can you control costs while getting the injured worker back on the road to recovery? Watch this webcast covering the pro's and con's of bone growth stims in the treatment of non-healing fractures.

Twenty years ago there were only ten specialty drugs on the market and they were rarely seen in workers’ compensation. Today there are over 300 and drugs such as anticoagulants and antivirals are making their way into claims. There is a great deal of confusion surrounding specialty drugs. What are they? Why are they so expensive? And will they really affect work comp? One thing is for sure: with a hefty price tag and their potential impact to a claim, they cannot be ignored. This webcast will provide valuable tips for managing specialty drugs in work comp claims.

Big Pharma and generic drug manufacturers have been battling it out in the marketplace and the courtroom for decades, but the intensity of these battles has increased significantly in recent months. As more and more brands are due to come off patent, the big drug companies are utilizing every means possible to delay the release of the generic version. The effect the patent wars on workers’ compensation is staggering. Manufacturers of some of the most expensive brand name drugs in work comp including OxyContin® and Celebrex® continue to delay the release of generic versions.

Medical marijuana is increasingly being prescribed to treat chronic pain; however, does it have a place in workers' compensation? What are the benefits and what are the risks? Join leading clinical experts from myMatrixx for this informative webinar and learn more about the pro's and con's of using marijuana as a medicine, employer responsibilities and risks, and how to proactively address medical marijuana use as a treatment in workers' compensation.

There is no denying the skyrocketing use and cost of pain medications in workers' compensation. Temporary disability payments are 3.5 times higher when opioids are prescribed, and in a recent study, many physicians who prescribed narcotics to injured workers were not using the recommended tools to monitor use. Opioids can have a positive effect; however, without the proper monitoring to control care and costs, they can wreak havoc. Presenters include Phil Walls, R. Ph., Chief Clinical Officer of myMatrixx and Brian S.