Implementation of Evidence-based Strategies for Managing Antimicrobial Resistance in Health Systems

Program 204-000-08-468-L01P
1.0 hour (0.1 CEU) of continuing education credit

Program Overview

Implementing an antimicrobial stewardship program in health systems can present a challenge. On October 1, 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) limited reimbursement for certain hospital-acquired conditions (“never events”) that the agency considers preventable in an effort to protect patients from serious harm and death. This program will describe the relationships between inappropriate antimicrobial use, antimicrobial resistance, and increased morbidity, mortality, hospital length of stay, and healthcare costs. The potential impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs on the emergence and transmission of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms will be discussed and participants will be encouraged to respond to questions during the program.

Challenges associated with antimicrobial stewardship program implementation and examples of successful multidisciplinary approaches to antimicrobial stewardship will be provided. The financial impact of CMS reimbursement policies for infectious disease-related never events, the implications for pharmacy practice of the policies, and the role of evidence-based strategies in preventing never events and antimicrobial resistance also will be addressed.

Program Faculty

Debra A. Goff, Pharm.D., FCCP
Clinical Associate Professor
The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy
Infectious Diseases Specialist
The Ohio State University Medical Center
Columbus, Ohio

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, participants should be able to

Explain the effects of inappropriate antimicrobial use on antimicrobial resistance, morbidity, mortality, hospital length of stay, and healthcare costs.
Describe the potential impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs on the emergence and transmission of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms.
Identify a potential challenge in implementing an antimicrobial stewardship program and an advantage of using a multidisciplinary approach in an institutional setting.
Name two infectious disease-related hospital-acquired conditions (“never events”) that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) considers preventable and for which reimbursement is limited, and describe the CMS reimbursement policies for these never events and the pharmacy practice implications of these policies.
Discuss the role of evidence-based strategies for prevention of never events and antimicrobial resistance.