Establishing a fee for handling investigational drug studies.

The administrative aspects of a pharmacy coordinated investigational drug service and its related costs are described. The policies and procedures for administering investigational drug studies were reviewed and divided into tasks. The staff involved were interviewed to determine the time they spent performing each task. The space for storage of the investigational drugs was measured. The personnel and storage costs were calculated. An average of five hours is required to coordinate pharmacy participation in a drug study. A drug information specialist spends about 1.5 hours/study developing a data sheet on the investigational drug. Record keeping time is approximately 11 hours/study. The total annual personnel cost is +177/study. The space for storing the drugs costs +15.50/year/study. The pharmacy department charges a fee of +200/year for its involvement in investigational drug studies. This does not include dispensing fees, which are charged to the patient. At this hospital, the revenue generated can support a pharmacist half-time or a technician full-time.