Cost Evaluation of Professional Services in a Rural Community Pharmacy: A Monocentric Exploratory Approach

The increasing pressure on healthcare systems (HCSs) is a cause for concern worldwide. Rising costs, uncertainty about sustainability, and aging populations are the main issues that make it challenging to allocate scarce resources to the needs of HCSs. Clinical professional pharmacy services (PSs) have been shown to help alleviate system stress and to reach the entire population, although a cost of provision is borne. The objective of this study was to evaluate the provision costs of three PSs, a medicine-dispensing service (MDS), a multicompartmental compliance aid system service (MCAS), and a cognitive impairment screening service (CISS), in a rural community pharmacy. A cost analysis was performed using a time-driven activity-based costing model. The time dedicated to PS provision was appropriately recorded, and the corresponding expenses were extracted from the accounting records. A provision time of 4.80 min and a cost of EUR 2.24 were estimated for the MDS, while 18.33 min and EUR 8.73 were calculated for the MCAS, and 122.20 min and EUR 56.72 were calculated for the CISS. The total provision time represented 85% of the pharmacist's effective working time. Tailored cost analysis is a useful tool for making decisions on the implementation of a PS. Larger studies including a variety of pharmacies and locations are necessary to accurately assess costs and engage in discussions on funding and remuneration.