Combating Rising Drug Prices & Waste Through Drug Vial Optimization
The North Carolina Cancer Hospital was the first program in the nation to adopt a closed-system transfer device that has saved $39 million in drug expense annually by reducing waste. This reduction decreases the number of closed-system transfer devices needed as each vial can be used more than once—despite a five-year 43% increase in adjusted chemotherapy volumes. The cost savings realized, along with the safety and clinical metrics demonstrated through the risk mitigation strategy of this initiative, is a best practice that can be modeled at other programs.