Improvement in appropriate utilization of recombinant human erythropoietin pre- and post-implementation of a required...

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.

To determine whether implementation of a required order form increased appropriate use and/or decreased total utilization of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO).

This was a retrospective cohort study of rHuEPO utilization for 4 months pre- and 6 months post-implementation (April 2008-January 2009).

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.

Implementation of a required order form with evidence-based dosing recommendations can be an effective strategy to improve appropriate utilization of rHuEPO.