Nearly everything one can think of falls under the vast umbrella that is insurance. This can place a heavy burden on those in the industry to nip risks in the bud before they bloom. One risk, in particular, that has the attention of both the insurance industry and the public at large is the opioid crisis.

As the crisis fermented in recent years, the Travelers Companies Inc. sought out a way to curtail the use of opioids among injured workers, particularly those in labor-intensive industries. In April, the company reported an almost 40% reduction in the use of opioids among the injured construction workers it has helped, thanks to a combination of its Early Severity Predictor model and its pharmacy management program.

The company isn't just focused on the construction industry — there is a company-wide initiative across its workers' compensation portfolio — but the sector garners significant attention due to the current labor shortage.

“The construction industry is dealing with a couple of really significant workforce demographic issues that are increasing both the frequency and severity of worker injury,” says Rick Keegan, president of construction at Travelers. According to Travelers data, 43% of all workers' compensation construction claims happen with tenure for less than one year and 66% with less than three years.

A Travelers timeline

More than five years ago, Travelers saw a rise in the frequency of workers' compensation claims where the person was developing into chronic pain.

To get ahead, Richard Ives, vice president of workers' compensation claim at Travelers, says the organization started to ask if there are variables that it can know early on in the life of the claim that identifies if an individual is at a high risk of developing chronic pain. Among other variables, Travelers looked at an individual's course of treatment, the complications the individual is dealing with and the prescription medicine they've received.

The Early Severity Predictor was established as a result. The company's proprietary model helps forecast which injured employees are at a higher risk of developing chronic pain. Travelers also relies on its pharmacy management program, which monitors drug interactions, excessive dosing and abuse patterns to reduce the risk of opioid dependency.

Opioids affect both the mind and body, and Travelers has made a concerted effort to tackle both aspects. If an injured worker isn't responding to physical therapy, Travelers's claims professionals and nurses might go with the injured worker to their next medical visit to work with the primary care provider; for others, it means a closer examination at eating and exercise habits.

“The more we're able to understand that person and what they're dealing with, the better we're able to help them get back to where they were prior to where their injury occurred,” says Ives.

To date, Travelers has seen a decrease in the number of injured workers who need surgery, the number of workers who need time away from work and in overall opioid use across all industries.

“We are committed to using our deep domain expertise, and our industry-leading data and analytics, to address the causes of chronic pain,” says Ives. “We're finding new ways to curb prescription opioid abuse while getting injured workers the care they need to return to work as soon as is medically appropriate.”

Special Reports /

The Travelers Co. takes on opioid use among injured workers

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