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Antibiotic monitoring improves quality, reduces cost

Quality Improvement Monitor, October 3, 2008

In an effort to reduce pharmaceutical cost and stop the rise of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, two hospitals have begun implementing programs to better control their antibiotic use and, so far, the results are positive.

In an era in which Medicare and some private insurers have begun to refuse reimbursement for many hospital-acquired conditions, closely monitoring antibiotics could help hospitals lower infection rates, says Sarah Bland, RPh, senior clinical pharmacist at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) in Madison. “It helps reduce the risk of superinfection with developing fungal infections or Clostridium difficile [C. difficile] from overtreatment with antibiotics,” Bland says.

The program, which has been in place for about five years, also helps to improve quality of care because it helps ensure that the most appropriate medication is prescribed every time and for the proper length of time, Bland says. Ultimately, the patient is getting more specific and appropriate care. “The house staff know they’re going to hear from us if they’re being kind of cavalier with their antibiotics,” she says. “I think that makes them a little more circumspect about how they are using antibiotics … it makes them think before they write.”

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