Role of the pharmacist in reducing healthcare costs: current insights

Abstract

Global healthcare expenditure is escalating at an unsustainable rate. Money spent on medicines and managing medication-related problems continues to grow. The high prevalence of medication errors and inappropriate prescribing is a major issue within healthcare systems, and can often contribute to adverse drug events, many of which are preventable. As a result, there is a huge opportunity for pharmacists to have a significant impact on reducing healthcare costs, as they have the expertise to detect, resolve, and prevent medication errors and medication-related problems. The development of clinical pharmacy practice in recent decades has resulted in an increased number of pharmacists working in clinically advanced roles worldwide. Pharmacist-provided services and clinical interventions have been shown to reduce the risk of potential adverse drug events and improve patient outcomes, and the majority of published studies show that these pharmacist activities are cost-effective or have a good cost:benefit ratio. This review demonstrates that pharmacists can contribute to substantial healthcare savings across a variety of settings. However, there is a paucity of evidence in the literature highlighting the specific aspects of pharmacists’ work which are the most effective and cost-effective. Future high-quality economic evaluations with robust methodologies and study design are required to investigate what pharmacist services have significant clinical benefits to patients and substantiate the greatest cost savings for healthcare budgets.

<p>Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions in Ambulatory Elderly Patients Living in Rural Areas of Romania Using STOPP/START (Version 2) Criteria</p>

“…22 Use of STOPP and START criteria in rural regions could help rationalize curative and preventive medications for these conditions, along with non-pharmacologic measures (ie, good diet, exercise, smoking cessation, as well as periodic monitoring of body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, lipid/carbohydrate profile, and laboratory investigations 36 ) addressed in concert with a GP and pharmacist. 37 Despite limited access to physicians in rural areas, we observed that EPCCs from GPs were, in general for 30 days. Hence, the GP could monitor outcomes and adjust (as appropriate) the treatment regimen and drug dose.…”

Incidence of Early Related–Complications of Port-A Catheter and Impact of Clinical Pharmacist Participation and Counselling Outcomes

“…The clinical pharmacist is in a unique position to safeguard the patient from the occurrence of many therapy-related problems and the participation can greatly help to overcome several complications by appropriate counselling, involving in monitoring and reporting of therapy-related complications due to ease of access to the patients. [16][17] Therefore, it could be taken in consideration that the early provision of suitable counselling services by the clinical pharmacist might lead to lower incidence of other complications of port-A catheter insertion such as severe skin infections and necrosis. …”

Implementation and evaluation of comprehensive medication management in telehealth practices

“…Cost savings and cost avoidance models may help financially justify services, especially where pharmacists cannot generate revenue from fee‐based services or cannot prove their impact on quality programs . Cost savings models demonstrate a measurable reduction in operating expenses that can be tested and validated after implementation.…”

“…Cost savings and cost avoidance models may help financially justify services, especially where pharmacists cannot generate revenue from feebased services or cannot prove their impact on quality programs. 58,59 Cost savings models demonstrate a measurable reduction in operating expenses that can be tested and validated after implementation. Examples include reductions in facility or personnel costs by converting a live service to telehealth, or the typical reduction in medication costs associated with use of clinical pharmacists.…”