An Economic Analysis of a Randomized, Controlled, Multicenter Study of Clinical Pharmacist Interventions for High‐Risk Veterans: The IMPROVE Study
Year: 2000
Type: article
Abstract: STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine if clinical pharmacists could affect economic resource use and humanistic outcomes in an ambulatory, high-risk population. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled study. SETTING: Nine Veterans Affairs medical centers. PATIENTS: Patients who were at high risk for medication-related problems. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomized to usual medical care with input from a clinical pharmacist (intervention group) or just usual medical care (control group). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 1,054 patients enrolled, 523 were randomized to the intervention group and 531 to the control group. The number of clinic visits increased in the intervention group (p=0.003), but there was no difference in clinic costs. Mean increases in total health care costs were $1,020 for the intervention group and $1,313 for the control group (p=0.06). CONCLUSION: Including the cost of pharmacist interventions, overall health care expenditures were similar for patients randomized to see a clinical pharmacist versus usual medical care.
Institutions: University of Colorado Health, University of Colorado Denver, Denver VA Medical Center, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Boise VA Medical Center, John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Iowa City VA Medical Center, Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital, South Texas Veterans Health Care System
Language: English
Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2135891174