Pharmacy, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, Switzerland.
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, University of Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland.
Eur J Hosp Pharm. 2020 Mar;27(2):111-113. doi: 10.1136/ejhpharm-2018-001733. Epub 2018 Nov 12.
The significant investments necessary to integrate a new technology or service often create a financial barrier. To convince a hospital board to invest, it is important to demonstrate a return on investment (ROI). As many pharmacists are not used to estimating an ROI, this short report proposes a simple methodology and a free practical tool to download.
Determining an ROI requires a calculation of all the expenses linked to the initial investments and the annual running costs of the equipment or service. When possible, real costs must be used in this calculation, but the costs of some parameters can only be estimated. The methodology involves three steps: (A) calculation of the initial balance (on shot costs and savings), (B) calculation of the annual balance (valid in the years after the investment) and (C) final calculation of time to recovery (duration until the initial investments are reimbursed by the annual savings) and ROI (the net benefit in euros at the end of the amortisation period).
This methodology was applied to the installation of automated dispensing cabinets in our hospital. The initial balance (€32 500±€4200) included equipment acquisition costs, installation costs and initial savings (stock-value reduction and non-investment in traditional ward pharmacy). The annual balance (€8622±3564) included amortisation and maintenance costs as well as human resources, medication, logistics and safety savings. We estimated a 3.8-year (min 2.7-max 6.4) time to recovery and an ROI of €36 476 (min €7964-max €64 988) after 8 years.
Large investments for innovative equipment or service will be harder and harder to obtain if no economic evaluation is provided. The method proposed here is simple and provides useful input for discussions with a hospital board. The case study highlights a positive ROI related to automated dispensing cabinets.
将新技术或服务整合到医院需要大量的投资，这可能会形成财务障碍。为了让医院董事会进行投资，有必要展示投资回报率（ROI）。由于许多药剂师不习惯于估算 ROI，因此本简要报告提出了一种简单的方法，并提供了一个免费的实用工具供下载。
确定 ROI 需要计算与初始投资和设备或服务的年度运行成本相关的所有费用。在这种计算中，如有可能，必须使用实际成本，但某些参数的成本只能估算。该方法涉及三个步骤：（A）初始余额的计算（即一次性成本和节省），（B）年度余额的计算（在投资后的年份有效）和（C）最终计算回收期（从初始投资中收回年度节省所需的时间）和 ROI（摊销期末的欧元净收益）。
该方法应用于我院自动化发药柜的安装。初始余额（€32500±€4200）包括设备购置成本、安装成本和初始节省（库存价值减少和不投资传统病房药房）。年度余额（€8622±3564）包括摊销和维护成本以及人力资源、药物、物流和安全节省。我们估计回收期为 3.8 年（最短 2.7 年，最长 6.4 年），8 年后 ROI 为€36476（最低€7964，最高€64988）。
如果没有经济评估，为创新设备或服务进行的大量投资将越来越难以获得。这里提出的方法简单易用，为与医院董事会进行讨论提供了有用的依据。案例研究强调了与自动化发药柜相关的积极 ROI。
