Reference no: EM133841114

Question

(Shively and Morgan, 2023) Antimicrobial use (AU) tracking is a critical component of any antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). Initially developed in 2015 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the standardized antimicrobial administration ratio (SAAR) is an AU measure that has potential to allow for national benchmarking and interfacility comparison. The SAAR is similar to the more well-established standardized infection ratio (SIR) used to track healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Thousands of hospitals have voluntarily submitted data to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) Option, and we believe that the SAAR has significant promise as a public health and stewardship tool. However, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that beginning in 2024, all acute-care hospitals and critical-access hospitals will be required to report to the NHSN AUR module. In light of this change, our commentary is meant to caution against public reporting and inclusion in value-based programs tied to reimbursement. Rushing the measure to have consequences for hospital reimbursement before it is ready risks unintended consequences, including a forced redistribution of limited resources, and may be harmful to hospitals and ultimately, patient care. The SAAR does not adjust for any patient-level factors. Patient-level data are needed to appropriately benchmark antimicrobial utilization.