Impact of a cost containment program on the use of volatile anesthetics and neuromuscular blocking drugs

Abstract

Study Objective:To determine the impact of a cost containment program on the use of volatile anesthetics and neuromuscular blocking drugs.Design:Historical, controlled, retrospective analysis.Setting:Main operating rooms of an adult general hospital at a university medical center.Patients:All patients undergoing anesthesia between July 1991 and November 1993.Measurements and Main Results:Cost per case was determined by dividing the monthly expediture for each class of drug by the caseload for that month. Cost per case of volatile anesthetic drugs decreased from $19.20 [plus-or-minus sign] 1.16 to $15.16 [plus-or-minus sign] 0.39 (p = 0.0034 by unpaired t-test). For neuromuscular blocking drugs, cost per case decreased from $19.67 [plus-or-minus sign] 1.35 to $12.23 [plus-or-minus sign] 0.66 (p = 0.003).Conclusions:Concerted educational efforts can decrease the per case expenditures for both volatile anesthetic drugs and neuromuscular blocking drugs.