Multidisciplinary cost-containment program promoting less frequent administration of injectable mezlocillin

A multidisciplinary cost-containment program for promoting less frequent administration of mezlocillin injection is described. The pharmacy department and the division of infectious diseases at Hartford Hospital implemented a program through which regimens of mezlocillin 5 g every eight hours would automatically be substituted for the frequently prescribed regimen of mezlocillin 3 g every four hours. Patients with urinary-tract infections or renal insufficiency and febrile neutropenic cancer patients also received various modified regimens. Use of the modified regimens was promoted through inservice education programs and distribution of newsletters and pocket-size brochures describing the dose-dependent pharmacokinetics of mezlocillin to medical staff. The pharmacy and therapeutics committee supported the program by endorsing the use of the modified regimens and distributing periodic progress reports. Pharmacists on the nursing units were responsible for enforcing the program stipulations regarding modified dosage regimens and for reporting adverse reactions and unexpected therapeutic failures. Ten months after implementation of the program, there was better than 99% compliance with the appropriately modified mezlocillin dosage regimens. Theoretical annual cost savings based on less frequent administration of mezlocillin injection amount to more than $33,000. The multidisciplinary program described here was successful in promoting the use of modified mezlocillin dosage regimens.