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CMW News: Hospitals wage war on 'superbugs'

Case Management Weekly, September 10, 2008

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Each year, 90,000 patients die from infections they acquire in hospitals, according to The Wall Street Journal.

This statistic, along with the fact that Medicare will stop reimbursing for certain hospital-acquired infections on October 1, gives many facilities the motivation to seriously monitor the use and effectiveness of antibiotics.

Some hospitals, such as the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, have created antimicrobial stewardship programs that team pharmacists, infectious-disease specialists, and microbiologists to monitor and restrict the use of certain antibiotics. The groups hope to prevent overuse of powerful antibiotics, ensuring they will retain their power, and to stop the use of more common antibiotics once they are no longer entirely effective. This prevents the bacteria from becoming “superbugs,” or bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.

Sources: HealthLeaders Media, The Wall Street Journal

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