7. They can save money. They don't always, of course, but by decreasing
waste caused by excess quantity in traditional vials, and reducing soft
costs — like nursing time and anesthesia time — pre-filled meds often
turn out to be less expensive overall. And on occasion they're less
expensive, regardless of whether you consider waste and time factors.
8. They can help mitigate supply-chain issues. Some compounders are able
to guarantee reserve supplies for their clients when shortages occur.
9. They promote environmental stewardship. By cutting down on incinerat-
ed drug waste, pre-filled syringes reduce greenhouse gases and envi-
ronmental pollution.
10. They improve compliance. Many accreditation bodies recognize the
added safety of single-use pre-filled syringes. Facilities that use them
are less likely to be cited for non-compliance with labeling standards
(date drawn, preparer's initials, etc.) or sub-optimal practice stan-
dards (like risking using single-use vials for multiple patients).
11. They eliminate billing fraud. You can't accidentally charge 2 patients
for a drug that was drawn from a single vial, which is fraud, plain and
simple.
12. They improve staff safety. Pre-filled syringes are a needle-free sys-
tem. That means fewer accidental needlesticks when preparing med-
ications.
Not perfect
Of course there are some minor disadvantages, too. As noted, pre-
filled, pre-packaged drugs can be more expensive, even when you
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