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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