Economic Impact Analysis of Custom Pak^® on Cataract and Vitreoretinal Surgery in the United States

Implicit costs of surgical preparation and materials management for cataract/anterior segment and retinal/posterior segment procedures are often unquantified. Use of ophthalmological surgical procedure packs is common in these surgeries; however, there is little in the literature demonstrating their time and cost impacts. Understanding the costs and potential benefits of surgical pack procedure use is important for administrators in purchasing decision-making. The objective of this study is to estimate the economic impact of Alcon Custom Pak^® on cataract and vitreoretinal (retina) surgery in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) across operating room (OR), materials management, and accounting departments.

We conducted a study in 2019 among US hospitals and ASCs using an online survey and a surgery timing exercise. Surgical technicians and supply chain managers were surveyed regarding current cataract and retina surgery practices including OR, materials management, and accounting tasks. Surgical technicians timed cataract and retina surgeries, recording activity timestamps and surgical supply use from Alcon Custom Pak and other sources. Using the survey and timing exercise inputs and literature and government sources, we developed a budget impact model (BIM) to quantify hidden costs of time and labor spent across the entire surgery supply life cycle.

Representing a geographical mix of 99 facilities, surgical technicians (56 cataract/46 retina) and supply chain managers (23 cataract/24 retina) provided data for their institutions. Technicians timed 290 cataract and 250 retina surgeries. In the BIM, increasing baseline Custom Pak utilization to 100% of surgeries while also sourcing all relevant supplies from Custom Pak results in annual cost savings ranging from $92,273 to $217,675 across procedure type and setting, allowing for between 75 (retina ASC) and 266 (cataract hospital) potential additional procedures per facility/year.

This study demonstrates that increasing Custom Pak usage can potentially save time, reduce hidden costs, and increase throughput.