Determining drug dispensing costs for use in cost-accounting systems.

Identification of pharmacy costs to be used in a university hospital's cost-accounting system (CAS) is described. At the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC), Madison, standard pharmacy labor times for seven categories of products were developed by determining the pharmacist and technician times for purchasing, ordering, transcribing orders, manufacturing, and distributing and administering medications; pharmacy technicians administer most of the medications to patients at UWHC. The labor cost per dose (standard time multiplied by average wage including fringe benefits) was added to drug acquisition cost, which was obtained from the hospital's computerized formulary. The direct costs associated with drug distribution were identified for use in the hospital CAS. These data can be used to compare the cost-effectiveness of various medication administration schedules; they may also be useful in productivity monitoring and flexible budgeting.