Antibiotic stewardship required in hospitals

November 8, 2019

New rules have been released that require U.S. hospitals to implement antibiotic stewardship programs. The changes are aimed at reducing the number of healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic resistant organisms, which will ultimately improve care of patients.

The rule was initially proposed in 2016 and will require all hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that participate in Medicare or Medicaid programs to develop and maintain an antibiotic stewardship program as part of their infection control efforts to help reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) directed all hospitals to follow guidance on implementing infection prevention and control programs from nationally recognized sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The core elements of a successful hospital antibiotic stewardship programs, as defined by the CDC, include standards such as leadership commitment, program accountability, monitoring antibiotic prescribing and resistance patterns and educating clinicians about resistance and best prescribing practices. By requiring hospitals to have antibiotic stewardship programs that are facility-wide and adhere to nationally recognized guidelines for the surveillance, prevention and control of infectious diseases, the CMS is committed to effectively reducing the development and spread of antibiotic resistant organisms.

While this new rule is a crucial step toward controlling antibiotic resistance through stewardship in hospitals, the need for robust tools to track the spread of antimicrobial resistance is essential to mitigate the evolving nature of infectious disease. The detection and surveillance of antibiotic resistant organisms is made possible through several tests and methods, including the Streck ARM-D® Kits, comprehensive real-time PCR kits that detect more than 1,000 antimicrobial resistance gene variants. Streck ARM-D Kits test for the presence of genes encoding carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), ampCs, extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), and mobilized colistin resistance (mcr). The ARM-D Kit portfolio provides users with a tool to track the spread of multi-drug resistant organisms, helping to guide antibiotic surveillance and infection control practices.

For information about our line of antibiotic resistance detection kits and to browse webinars, talks and posters related to antimicrobial resistance, visit our resources page.

Streck ARM-D Kits are for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

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