A Cost and Value Analysis of Products in an Outpatient Wound Clinic After the Addition of Active Leptospermum Honey Products

Purpose:  A product selection initiative was undertaken at our Outpatient Wound Center:  1) Improve patient outcomes and satisfaction with wound care progress and dressing changes, and 2) Reduce excess economic cost related to prescription pharmaceuticals.  Rising healthcare costs have caused facilities to examine ways to speed healing with more cost-effective products.^1,2     Methods:  Retrospective data of supply costs over a baseline period, all of 2009, were collected.  The dollars spent monthly on products, such as Collagenase and ORC Collagen, were calculated.  This same data was then collected throughout 2010, the intervention period.  Changes during the intervention period included growth of the clinic by an average of two patients daily, predicting increased costs.  Additionally, Active Leptospermum Honey (ALH) dressings were chosen based on evidence and clinician interest.  ALH was frequently ordered for venous, diabetic, pressure, and other chronic wounds.   In 2010 the average monthly cost of Collagenase was reduced by 62%.  The addition of ALH to formulary reduced the overall expenditure 32.6% despite an increase in volume.  No other costs notably differed from baseline to intervention.  Results:  Patient satisfaction improved during the intervention period   due to reduced out-of-pocket expenses for ALH use in those patients previously using Collagenase, and the reduction of dressing frequency from daily to every other day.  Visit frequency did not change as most persons came weekly for assessment.  However, anecdotal decrease in healing time resulted in less visits overall.  Conclusions:  This value-based analysis demonstrated that the addition of ALH to the clinic’s formulary reduced overall costs and improved patient’s satisfaction.