The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council met on October 21st, which included discussions of report findings, legislative developments, and other workers’ compensation system updates. Healthesystems attended the meeting to capture key developments.

The council approved two 2025 reports for submission to the General Assembly, highlighting high reported satisfaction with medical care and lower average payments per prescription. Together, the findings provide insight into medical access, prescription drug trends, and emerging cost concerns that may influence future policy discussions.

In the 2025 Physician Dispensing Report, it was noted that prescription drugs remained approximately 10% of medical costs, and that average payment per prescription declined approximately 5% from 2024. Pharmacies’ share of total drug payments increased from 82% in 2024 to 85% in 2025, while physicians accounted for 5% of total drug payments, up from 4% in 2024.

The five leading drugs by prescription-related payments were diclofenac sodium, Zylotrol, lidocaine, pregabalin and cyclobenzaprine HCL, which together accounted for 39% of payments. Members continued to question topical drug costs, particularly Zylotrol’s rise from 25th in 2023 to second in 2025 in rankings by prescription-related payments.

In the 2025 Medical Accessibility Study, it was found that 87% of injured workers reported satisfaction with their care, up 1 percentage point from 2024. Approximately 83% of injured workers received care within 48 hours, unchanged from the prior year. Nearly 75% of injured workers used a panel physician.