Topics covered in the Synergy Masterclass

• Procurement
• Tenders
• Decision-making processes
• Managed Entry Agreements (MEA)
• Drug shortages
• Logistical challenges
• Healthcare professional input

 Target audience

All qualified healthcare professionals, regardless of their position.

Assessment of Learning Success

To evaluate the learning success as requested by ACPE and as defined by teaching goals and learning objectives, a Survey Monkey® driven online questionnaire will be used. This form is answered on day 1 as a baseline snapshot of existing knowledge and can be completed online on day 2 after the Synergy Masterclass to assess the learning success. The link will be communicated to the delegates during the Masterclass. A participation certificate will be delivered by link after anonymous submission of the completed questionnaire.

Content and Learning Objectives

Through recent years, numerous innovative and exiting drug treatments have become available for treatment at hospitals to the benefit of patients. However, health budgets throughout Europe are challenged by the highcosts of these drugs, and hospital pharmacies have a key role by buying medications for hospitals. In order to address the increasing medication costs, procurement and tendering should be considered as topics related to managing medication costs. Procurement can be performed at national, regional as well as at local hospital level. Pros and cons for the hospital pharmacies exist for performing procurement at the various levels including effects on drug cost reduction, continuity of drug supply, competition etc.
Tenders are made when procuring drugs at hospital pharmacies, and various pros and cons exist for doing tenders as well. The traditional of doing tenders based on price only is widely accepted, however, value-based tenders including other aspects of the drugs than the price itself (e.g. patient safety issues, environmental aspects, quality-based factors and innovative characteristics) is becoming increasingly popular. The hospital pharmacist has a role for the future in ensuring relevance of the included factors of these value-based procurements.

In some European countries pay-per-performance and other models are used as a part of the tenders. These models may allow for the possibility of a greater price reduction, but they also lead to increased administration costs of monitoring of the tender and ensuring reimbursement.

Finally, procurement is regulated by EU-legislation, and all of the above should comply with these rules.