IDSA Launches Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence Program

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) announces the first recipients of its Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence (CoE) designation: Providence Saint John’s Health Center of Santa Monica, Calif. and Summa Health of Akron, Ohio. The program, launched this month, recognizes institutions that achieve standards established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for antimicrobial stewardship programs led by infectious diseases (ID) physicians and ID-trained pharmacists.

“IDSA is committed to infectious diseases-led antimicrobial stewardship programs as an essential component in the fight against antimicrobial resistance that leads to more than 23,000 deaths per year and over $20 billion in unnecessary health care costs. The IDSA Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence program recognizes institutions who lead in establishing highly effective antimicrobial stewardship programs that help clinicians give their patients optimal anti-infective therapies,” said IDSA president Paul Auwaerter, MD, MBA, FIDSA.

The core criteria for the IDSA Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence were developed by a workgroup of infectious diseases (ID) physicians and ID-trained pharmacists and build upon the criteria detailed in the CDC’s Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs. The CoE program places particular emphasis on an institution’s ability to implement stewardship protocols, using their electronic health record (EHR) system, as well as provide ongoing education to its medical staff. 

The goals of the program are to not only recognize those who have achieved high standards in their stewardship programs, but also highlight the value of stewardship over our valuable but vulnerable drug supply.  All health systems are welcome to apply for the CoE designation and can learn more about the criteria at: www.idsociety.org/ascoe.

Source: IDSA