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Consultant Pharmacist Drug Therapy Recommendations Acceptance and Rejection from Monthly Drug Regimen Reviews in a Geriatric Nursing Facility: Fourth Year Results and Cost Analysis

Purpose To document and compare the outcomes from monthly drug regimen review recommendation acceptance and rejection in one skilled nursing facility by one consultant pharmacist (CP) in the fourth year of evaluation with the prior 3 years' data. Method A non-randomized, observational, prospective cohort study with all patients being residents for at least 30 days over the 12-month period (October 1, 1997 to September 30, 1998) in a skilled nursing facility with more than 100 beds. The admission problem-oriented records of all patients and their respective CP reports were screened for pharmacotherapy recommendations and subsequent acceptance and rejection on a monthly, repeated-measures basis for 12 months. There were 2,004 monthly drug regimen review (DRR) reports. The percentage of DRR reports that made recommendations was tabulated. Written recommendations made to attending physicians that were either accepted or rejected within 3 months were analyzed. The charges for adverse outcomes were calculated from billing records or prior studies of the outcome. These results were compared with prior 1- and 2-year studies of outcomes within the same setting. Carryover effects of recommendations implemented in prior periods were also calculated. Results There were 178 recommendations made in 2,004 DRR reports (8.9%). A low acceptance rate, 27 of 178 recommendations (15.2%), resulted and was combined with carryover of prior acceptance in a cost savings of $113,962. The 151 recommendations that were rejected resulted in $226,503 of presumed unnecessary costs to the health care system. A prior 2-year study of recommendations with an acceptance rate of 89% showed costs savings of $111,609 per year with acceptance and $112,297 added costs per year with 11% rejection. The first-year study had a 93% acceptance rate at a projected cost savings of $43,854 and costs increased by $60,825 with a 7% rejection. The costs of recommendation rejection in the fourth year were substantially higher, with a higher rejection rate than was seen in the prior 3 years of observation. Conclusion Documentation of the costs from CP intervention should factor in costs of rejection that may increase with the percentage rejection of recommendations, length of observation period, and may vary between facilities.