Premier Health is the first urgent care operator in the U.S. to earn the Antibiotic Stewardship Commendation.
The Antibiotic Stewardship Commendation program was created by the Urgent Care Association and College of Urgent Care Medicine to recognize those urgent care operators that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to responsible prescribing practices of antibiotics.
According to the CDC, each year in the U.S. as many as two million people get an antibiotic-resistant infection, and at least 23,000 people die as a result of antimicrobial resistance. This program sets the parameters for healthcare providers to prescribe the right drug, in the right dose, for the right duration.
"Premier Health is excited to have been one of the first nationwide urgent care operators to beta test this critically important initiative and is proud to be the first organization to earn the Antibiotic Stewardship Commendation," according to Kevin DiBenedetto, M.D., chief medical officer. "Urgent care clinics are really the first line of defense in battling the inappropriate use of antibiotics because so many of the patients that visit our clinics with obvious viral infections believe antibiotics will make them feel better. The Antibiotic Stewardship Commendation program gives urgent care providers the clinical and educational support necessary to address patients' concerns and avoid prescribing antibiotics that are clearly not necessary."
Premier Health CEO Steve Sellars said, "Premier fully supports the UCA when it says antibiotic resistance is a serious threat across the entire healthcare industry. We feel like our urgent care providers do a good job of monitoring antibiotic use in our clinics, but we can always do better. We think leading the way with an industry-wide initiative like this is clear evidence Premier takes its role as a responsible provider of urgent care very seriously."
The Antibiotic Stewardship Commendation Program requires urgent care centers to provide information demonstrating their compliance with the Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship program developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).