title: Development of an inpatient operational pharmacy productivity model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An innovative model for measuring the operational productivity of medication order management in inpatient settings is described.
  
  
  METHODS
  Order verification within a computerized prescriber order-entry system was chosen as the pharmacy workload driver. To account for inherent variability in the tasks involved in processing different types of orders, pharmaceutical products were grouped by class, and each class was assigned a time standard, or "medication complexity weight" reflecting the intensity of pharmacist and technician activities (verification of drug indication, verification of appropriate dosing, adverse-event prevention and monitoring, medication preparation, product checking, product delivery, returns processing, nurse/provider education, and problem-order resolution). The resulting "weighted verifications" (WV) model allows productivity monitoring by job function (pharmacist versus technician) to guide hiring and staffing decisions. A 9-month historical sample of verified medication orders was analyzed using the WV model, and the calculations were compared with values derived from two established models—one based on the Case Mix Index (CMI) and the other based on the proprietary Pharmacy Intensity Score (PIS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Evaluation of Pearson correlation coefficients indicated that values calculated using the WV model were highly correlated with those derived from the CMI-and PIS-based models (r = 0.845 and 0.886, respectively). Relative to the comparator models, the WV model offered the advantage of less period-to-period variability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The WV model yielded productivity data that correlated closely with values calculated using two validated workload management models. The model may be used as an alternative measure of pharmacy operational productivity.
authors.affiliation: Ryan W. Naseman, Pharm.D., M.S., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; Ben R. Lopez, Pharm.D., M.S., M.H.A., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; and Ryan A. Forrey, Pharm.D., M.S., is Associate Director of Pharmacy and Infusion, The Ohio State University (OSU) James Cancer Center and Solove Research Institute, Columbus. Robert J. Weber, Pharm.D., M.S., is Administrator, Pharmacy Services, OSU Wexner Medical Center, and Assistant Dean, OSU College of Pharmacy, Columbus. Kris M. Kipp, M.S.N., is Executive Director, Patient Services, and Chief Nursing Officer, OSU James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. ryan.naseman@osumc.edu.
authors.forename: Ryan W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Naseman
authors.affiliation: Ryan W. Naseman, Pharm.D., M.S., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; Ben R. Lopez, Pharm.D., M.S., M.H.A., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; and Ryan A. Forrey, Pharm.D., M.S., is Associate Director of Pharmacy and Infusion, The Ohio State University (OSU) James Cancer Center and Solove Research Institute, Columbus. Robert J. Weber, Pharm.D., M.S., is Administrator, Pharmacy Services, OSU Wexner Medical Center, and Assistant Dean, OSU College of Pharmacy, Columbus. Kris M. Kipp, M.S.N., is Executive Director, Patient Services, and Chief Nursing Officer, OSU James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
authors.forename: Ben R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.affiliation: Ryan W. Naseman, Pharm.D., M.S., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; Ben R. Lopez, Pharm.D., M.S., M.H.A., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; and Ryan A. Forrey, Pharm.D., M.S., is Associate Director of Pharmacy and Infusion, The Ohio State University (OSU) James Cancer Center and Solove Research Institute, Columbus. Robert J. Weber, Pharm.D., M.S., is Administrator, Pharmacy Services, OSU Wexner Medical Center, and Assistant Dean, OSU College of Pharmacy, Columbus. Kris M. Kipp, M.S.N., is Executive Director, Patient Services, and Chief Nursing Officer, OSU James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
authors.forename: Ryan A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Forrey
authors.affiliation: Ryan W. Naseman, Pharm.D., M.S., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; Ben R. Lopez, Pharm.D., M.S., M.H.A., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; and Ryan A. Forrey, Pharm.D., M.S., is Associate Director of Pharmacy and Infusion, The Ohio State University (OSU) James Cancer Center and Solove Research Institute, Columbus. Robert J. Weber, Pharm.D., M.S., is Administrator, Pharmacy Services, OSU Wexner Medical Center, and Assistant Dean, OSU College of Pharmacy, Columbus. Kris M. Kipp, M.S.N., is Executive Director, Patient Services, and Chief Nursing Officer, OSU James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Ryan W. Naseman, Pharm.D., M.S., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; Ben R. Lopez, Pharm.D., M.S., M.H.A., is Assistant Director of Pharmacy and Infusion; and Ryan A. Forrey, Pharm.D., M.S., is Associate Director of Pharmacy and Infusion, The Ohio State University (OSU) James Cancer Center and Solove Research Institute, Columbus. Robert J. Weber, Pharm.D., M.S., is Administrator, Pharmacy Services, OSU Wexner Medical Center, and Assistant Dean, OSU College of Pharmacy, Columbus. Kris M. Kipp, M.S.N., is Executive Director, Patient Services, and Chief Nursing Officer, OSU James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
authors.forename: Kris M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kipp
mesh_terms: D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D050316:Medical Order Entry Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010596:Pharmacy Technicians / Q000458:organization & administration; D024382:Professional Role; D016526:Workload