An antimicrobial stewardship program at the University of Maryland Medical Center led to a 45.8 percent decrease in utilization costs over a seven-year period, according to a study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
The antimicrobial stewardship program was implemented at the hospital in July 2001. It relied heavily on a multidisciplinary team comprised of a clinical pharmacist trained in infectious diseases and a part-time infectious diseases physician who monitored antimicrobial orders and conducted interventions and education.
Researchers at the hospital found the program led to a 45.8 percent decrease in utilization costs, from $44,181 per 1,000 patient-days in 2001 to $23,933 per 1,000 patient-days in 2008. The first three years of the program saw a reduction of approximately $3 million, mainly from a decrease use of antifungal agents for cancer patients. When the program was discontinued in 2008, antimicrobial costs rose 32 percent in two years.
The antimicrobial stewardship program was implemented at the hospital in July 2001. It relied heavily on a multidisciplinary team comprised of a clinical pharmacist trained in infectious diseases and a part-time infectious diseases physician who monitored antimicrobial orders and conducted interventions and education.
Researchers at the hospital found the program led to a 45.8 percent decrease in utilization costs, from $44,181 per 1,000 patient-days in 2001 to $23,933 per 1,000 patient-days in 2008. The first three years of the program saw a reduction of approximately $3 million, mainly from a decrease use of antifungal agents for cancer patients. When the program was discontinued in 2008, antimicrobial costs rose 32 percent in two years.
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