[Analysis of several containment measures of pharmaceutical expenditure in an Ambulatory Surgery Centre]

Abstract

Objective: In the context of the current crisis, sustainability of National Health Service must be considered a priority issue. To compare several cost saving measures in drug expenditure due to outpatient drug treatment after surgery in an Ambulatory Surgical Centre.

Material and method: Pharmaco-economic analysis of cost minimization of ambulatory pharmaceutical services during the year 2011. A total of 3,346 patients were operated on and discharged on the same day, were included. Treatments were collected from the discharge report of each patient. We compared changes in real outpatient drug spending after separately applying each of the following measures: 1) increasing the co-payment; 2) improving the quality of prescribing; 3) dispensing by units of drugs through pharmacies, and 4) dispensing through the hospital pharmacy service.

Results: The real outpatient pharmaceutical expenditure was 29,454.21€. Increasing the co-payment mean a transfer of 2,091.82€ from the funding institutions to users. Improving the quality of prescriptions, dispensing through units of drugs in the pharmacy, and dispensing through the hospital pharmacy service led to a pharmaceutical expenditure of 24,215.14€, 21,766.24€ and 7,827.71€, respectively.

Conclusions: Only considering co-payment to contain pharmaceutical expenditure arising from prescribing in an Ambulatory Surgical Centre is the least effective measure. The most effective measure, for this purpose, is the supply of drugs through the hospital pharmacy service.

Keywords: Ambulatory surgical procedures; Clinical governance; Control de costos; Cost containment; Costos en medicamentos; Drug costs; Economics pharmaceutical; España; Farmacoeconomía; Gestión clínica; Procedimientos quirúrgicos ambulatorios; Spain.