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Miami Valley Hospital Earns Designation as Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence

DAYTON, Ohio (February 28, 2019) – Miami Valley Hospital has been named an Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The hospital in Dayton is one of the first health care facilities in the country to earn the recognition. 

The IDSA developed the Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence program to promote excellence in antimicrobial use and combat antimicrobial resistance by recognizing health care facilities that maintain highly effective antimicrobial stewardship programs. 

“This two-year designation as an Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence confirms that Miami Valley Hospital highly prioritizes antibiotic stewardship as a means to combat antimicrobial resistance, which can save the lives of our patients and their loved ones,” said Mike Uhl, president of Miami Valley Hospital. “The health and safety of our patients, their families, and the community is always top-of-mind. This important designation is another example of Premier Health’s continuous effort to take care to a higher level.”

“For Miami Valley Hospital to be one of only 41 hospitals in the Unites States, and the only one in Southwest Ohio, to be designated as a Center of Excellence for Antimicrobial Stewardship is quite an accomplishment,” said Dr. Steven Burdette, medical director of infection prevention at Miami Valley Hospital. “Premier Health and Miami Valley Hospital’s administrators and providers have recognized that antibiotics are a limited resource which, when prescribed, come with potential risks, including side effects and the possibility of creating resistant bacteria. We must balance the benefits of antibiotics with the adverse side effects and use them for the proper indication and duration to optimize outcomes for our patients.”

Hospitals designated as Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence meet or exceed antimicrobial stewardship standards set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as additional IDSA criteria developed by a working group of infectious diseases physicians and infectious disease-trained pharmacists, according to the IDSA. Criteria for designation include having interventions in place to effectively optimize antimicrobial use; providing on-going education to medical staff; effective use of electronic health records and/or clinical decision support systems to report on overall antibiotic use and trends; having in place an annual action plan for antimicrobial stewardship; and more. 

The IDSA stresses that antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats facing health care on a global, national and individual level. Each year, more than 700,000 people worldwide die due to antimicrobial resistant infections.

“The Centers of Excellence program recognizes institutions that share our commitment by establishing antimicrobial stewardship programs that foster optimal therapies that protect patients from dangerous antimicrobial resistant infections while safeguarding our vulnerable drug supply. IDSA is proud to partner with each of these institutions in turning the tide against antimicrobial resistance,” said Paul Auwaerter, MD, an IDSA fellow and immediate past president of the organization. 

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