From 2012 to 2015, the price of nitroprusside jumped from $27.46 to $880.88, while isoproterenol skyrocketed from $26.20 to $1,790.11.
“Such price increases can result in serious concerns about the affordability of critically needed medications for patients and also can have a substantial negative impact on hospital budgets,” the authors wrote in the case study.
Clinicians from Cleveland Clinic’s Heart and Vascular Institute partnered with the health system’s pharmacy department to conduct a thorough review of the clinical use of these two heart drugs and identified five steps to mitigate their high costs.
Here are the five steps.
- Understand how the costly medications are used in the organization.
- Involve key stakeholders in the implementation and design of the drug price strategy by providing periodic data feedback.
- Define key areas in which continued use of the pharmaceutical is crucial for patients.
- Reduce waste in the delivery of pharmaceuticals.
- Identify cheaper therapeutic alternatives physicians can use to effectively treat patients.
To learn more about Cleveland Clinic’s strategy, click here.
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