Expediting Formulary Standardization in a Multihospital Health System Using Layered Learners

Area of Science:

• Health Systems Pharmacy
• Medication Management
• Drug Formulary Optimization

Background:

• Hospital drug formularies are crucial for effective medication management.
• Standardizing formularies across health systems presents significant challenges.
• Expedited formulary review is often needed before major system implementations like electronic medical records.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel approach for system-wide formulary standardization using a layered learner model.
• To assess the efficiency and financial impact of this model in a multihospital health system.

Main Methods:

• A system-level Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee implemented a layered learner model for formulary review.
• Pharmacy students, residents, and specialists conducted drug class reviews, overseen by experienced pharmacists.
• Recommendations for formulary agents and therapeutic interchanges were presented to stakeholders before final P&T committee decisions.

Main Results:

• Twenty-seven therapeutic classes were reviewed within 15 months.
• 44% of reviewed agents (153 of 346) were retained on the formulary.
• An estimated $1.185 million in supply cost savings was achieved in the 12 months post-implementation.

Conclusions:

• A layered learner model effectively expedites formulary standardization and therapeutic interchange processes.
• This model offers a scalable solution for other health systems seeking to optimize their drug formularies efficiently.
• The approach demonstrated significant cost savings, highlighting its value in medication management.