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Submit News Items to Kristi Lopez, Communications Officer, UK College of Pharmacy, |
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Clinical Pharmacists Aid in Controlling Rising Costs LEXINGTON, KY (June 5, 2002) -- Across the country, escalating costs of prescription drugs have impacted all areas of health care. Total prescription drug spending in 2001 was more than $154 billion, a 17 percent increase from the previous year, according to a report by the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation.
Increased prescription drug use, more expensive drugs available and direct-to-consumer advertising are attributed for much of the growing expenditures. Finding ways to curb the skyrocketing costs has become a colossal challenge in a time of shrinking budgets.
However, at University of Kentucky Hospital costs have remained under control without a compromise in medical care and even an increase in the number of clinical pharmacists serving patients.
While the pharmacy services’ budgets at many facilities have climbed along with drug costs, at UK the hospital drug supply cost has decreased 2 percent since 1999 and the overall budget has only grown by 1 percent each year.
“There isn’t a magic bullet,” said John Armitstead, assistant dean for medical center pharmacy services. “Many factors allow us to provide the best medical outcomes for our patients while controlling costs.”
One very visible factor is clinical pharmacists rounding with medical teams who then offer consultation during the therapeutic decision making process. Pharmacists review data available and then participate in the selection of the best drug regimentation for the patient with the physician or medical team.
Daniel Lewis, Pharm.D., is one of the clinical pharmacists rounding at UK Hospital. For the past two years Lewis has been working closely with the cardiology service.
“In many institutions to cut budgets, they are pulling people off the floors, but instead UK invested their resources and their trust in pharmacists to carry out what we refer to as the ‘Best Practices’ approach,” Lewis said. “We provide the best standard of care for our patients, while reducing medical errors and effectively utilizing resources to control costs.”
Improving medical outcomes through pharmacotherapy is not new at UK. Since 1969, UK has been a pioneering institution recognized worldwide in clinical pharmacy. However, expanding the number of pharmacists on the wards actually has been one component in reducing costs, Armitstead said.
“This is truly a success story that shows how resources can be managed to not only keep costsunder control but also provide excellent pharmacotherapy,” said Dean Kenneth B. Roberts, Ph.D.
“Becoming a liaison and building a rapport with physicians and other health care experts to make the best choices for patients is a model that can also lead to success for other institutions.” At UK Hospital, clinical pharmacists work effectively with the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee to develop policies and procedures for therapeutic agents.
Restrictions or the criteria for usage are developed as well as a therapeutic interchange.
The pharmacists work in many areas of the Hospital and UK Children’s Hospital, but special attention is given to areas where drugs often are the most costly and where medication errors or adverse drug reactions are most common.
Another factor in UK Hospital’s success has been the implementation of a formulary system developed by the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee for selecting drugs to be used in the institution, Armitstead said.
The formulary contains a list of drugs available for use and serves to provide patient care needed, as well as reduce pharmacy inventory and control costs.
The formulary of approved drugs is made available online on the Hospital’s computer system. Nonformulary drugs must receive special consent to be used.
“Often more than one drug or drug combination can produce the same outcomes for a patient and even though one product may be newer or marketed more doesn’t mean it is the one that should be used,” Armitstead said.
“Our goal is always best outcomes or best practices and that encompasses doing everything we can to take care of patients while being fiscally responsible.”
Kristi Lopez, (859) 323-4730 |
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Kristi W. Lopez, Last
Modified:
July 08, 2002
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