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Current national initiatives and policies to control drug costs in Europe: UK perspective.

Healthcare represents a significant proportion of UK government expenditure leading to the introduction of a number of reforms to contain costs while improving the quality and efficiency of care. Equity is also a core principle. These objectives have led to the institution of a number of central initiatives including National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), and the National Service Frameworks (NSFs). NICE has met with variable success, with a number of activities and measures proposed to enhance its contribution. Other measures recently instituted to improve quality and efficiency include risk sharing arrangements, prescribing incentive schemes coupled with academic detailing, and outcome guarantee schemes. Ongoing reforms will continue with an aging population and pressure on resources.

Cost Control↗

Controlling the cost of branded drugs.

Formularies are no longer used merely to cut costs. The new emphasis is on providing appropriate pharmaceuticals at the most cost-effective price.

Cost Control↗

New study suggests some efforts to control drug costs could backfire.

While many payers search for new and better ways to limit escalating drug costs, one new study suggests that at least some of the tactics commonly used could be backfiring in the form of higher overall medical costs. In fact, the study suggests that in the case of some common chronic diseases, health plans could save money by doing a better job of making sure patients get their prescriptions filled and take their drugs as prescribed

Cost Control↗

Clinical laboratory quality control: a costly process now out of control.

We studied laboratory internal quality control (QC) processes using the College of American Pathologists Q-Probes program. Over 500 institutions participated, providing practices based on approximately 710,000 cholesterol, 880,000 calcium, 400,000 digoxin, and 1,180,000 hemoglobin QC results. The costs of QC included participant median control samples rates comprising 9.1, 9.4, 37.0, and 6.8% for the four analytes respectively, repeat patient test rates of 0.36% for hemoglobin to 0.65% for digoxin, and median delays in reporting results when QC exceptions occurred of 15.8 min for calcium to 24.7 min for hemoglobin. Quality control practices were complex and highly variable among participants and frequently differed from internal laboratory protocols and from long-established quality guidelines. We conclude that QC is costly, and laboratorians frequently do not follow established QC practices, in part because they are complex. To improve compliance, we believe QC practices must be simplified.

Chemistry, Clinical↗

Processing control and cost in bacteriology.

Controlled processing was applied to lower respiratory, wound, and cervicovaginal exudates, and urine. The extent of processing was determined by assessment of quality in direct smears and/or by limits placed on complete identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of isolates in mixed cultures. Some specimens were not cultured; others were cultured, but certain isolates were identified by colonial morphologic features only. The time in minutes for performing 22 processing operations was determined. The average number of operations performed with processing control was established along with the total cost per minute of labor expended. A 19% reduction was observed in the time expended with controlled processing relative to projected time expended without processing controls. Urine specimens yielded the greatest saving. Processing control speeds recollection of poor-quality specimens, provides reporting of results of examination of all Gram-stained direct smears, minimizes reporting of information potentially misleading to physicians, and may reduce other health-care costs through improved patient care.

Bacteria↗