Improvement in appropriate utilization of recombinant human erythropoietin pre- and post-implementation of a required order form.
Ann Pharmacother
; 44(5): 832-7, 2010 May.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20371758
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESAs) are high-cost medications that have a significant impact on many pharmacy budgets. Recently, ESAs have received stronger safety warnings and reimbursement has been curtailed by third-party payers including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. For these reasons, many hospitals are developing strategies to optimize their use. A required order form with acceptable indications and dosing was implemented at an academic medical center in an attempt to improve dosing and appropriate utilization of ESAs.OBJECTIVE:
To determine whether implementation of a required order form increased appropriate use and/or decreased total utilization of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO).METHODS:
This was a retrospective cohort study of rHuEPO utilization for 4 months pre- and 6 months post-implementation (April 2008-January 2009).RESULTS:
Implementation of a required order form for rHuEPO resulted in significantly fewer patients receiving inappropriate doses of rHuEPO (51.3% vs 19.2%, p < 0.001). The number of patients treated, adjusted to hospital census, was also reduced after implementation of the order form (0.003 vs 0.004 pts./average pt. days, p = 0.03). Annual spending for rHuEPO was reduced by 47% during 2008 despite an increased acquisition cost.CONCLUSIONS:
Implementation of a required order form with evidence-based dosing recommendations can be an effective strategy to improve appropriate utilization of rHuEPO.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Prescrições de Medicamentos
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Eritropoetina
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Revisão de Uso de Medicamentos
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
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Incidence_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2010
Tipo de documento:
Article