OBJECTIVE: A cost-avoidance model was developed to determine potential cost
savings or "avoidance" that results: from a drug information service (DIS)
responding to drug information requests.
DESIGN: Patient-specific questions received by the DIS were reviewed and ev
aluated. A panel determined whether a drug misadventure event may have occu
rred if the DIS had not been consulted. Potential outcomes from drug inform
ation requests were classified using a decision-tree model. A severity rati
ng was then attached to each applicable request to predict potential cost s
avings of the DIS,
RESULTS: Seventy-seven of the 570 drug information responses received in th
e six-week study period had assessable potential cost savings to the instit
ution. During the study interval, potential cost savings were estimated to
be $195 000. Projected to one year, potential cost savings reached $1.7 mil
lion, Of the savings noted, most were attributable to prevention of increas
ed monitoring or additional treatment. Using a sensitivity analysis, annual
potential cost savings ranged from $417 792 to $2 052 740 per year. Based
on the estimated annual costs: related to maintaining a DIS of $145 950, th
e resultant range of benefit/cost ratio is 2.9:1 to 13.2:1.
CONCLUSIONS: This model demonstrates that the DIS at our institution provid
es potential cost savings. This model may be modified to evaluate potential
cost savings in other areas of pharmacy practice.