The North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance Department has partnered with Cordant Health Solutions to help coordinate medication monitoring for injured workers on chronic opioid therapy, as required by department rules.

Cordant replaces Ameritox Ltd. in the project, the department said this week.

The plan is for Cordant to analyze pharmacy data to identify injured workers who have been on opioids for 90 days or more, then to contact the claims adjuster to request authorization to coordinate drug testing. The company tests for prescribed, non-prescribed and illicit drugs.

If the adjuster approves testing, Cordant will contact the last prescriber to collect information on current medications and the next doctor's visit. A provider may bill the department for collection, using current procedural terminology (CPT) code 99000.

Cordant sends the test results to the prescriber and Workforce Safety & Insurance.

"It is WSI’s expectation the testing is comparable in type and scope, i.e., a provider must conduct definitive testing for prescribed, non-prescribed and illicit drugs," the bulletin reads.