A Lean Pharmacy Intervention Reduces Patient-Specific Batch Intravenous Fill List Waste by 29% in a Tertiary Medical Center

The 2012 New England Compounding Center tragedy and ongoing drug shortages have caused a dramatic increase in internal compounding at many tertiary hospital pharmacies. These increased demands, coupled with intravenous (IV) compounding room space constraints, exposed significant opportunity to reduce waste and increase efficiency in a medical center's high-volume operation.

Using Lean principles, the medical center reduced Batch IV Fill List credits and returns by 29 percent and produced an estimated $51,000 in annual cost savings. Through implementation of a just-in-time approach with Batch IV Fill Lists, the time between label generation and IV due time was reduced by 62 percent, decreasing wasted time and dollars.

This case study is part of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association's annual Quality Excellence Achievement Awards. Each year, IHA recognizes and celebrates the achievements of Illinois hospitals and health systems in continually improving and transforming health care in the state. These organizations are improving health by striving to achieve the Triple Aim—improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care—and the Institute of Medicine's six aims for improvement—safe, effective, patient centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. To learn more, visit https://www.ihaqualityawards.org/javascript-ui/IHAQualityAward/