Northwell Health – GoHealth Urgent Care was awarded a Pinnacle Award by the Healthcare Association of New York State. Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care was honored for its implementation and monitoring of antibiotic safety protocols (ASP) in its large-scale urgent care network.
Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care launched an antibiotic stewardship programme in 2019 to improve how antibiotics are prescribed and administered by doctors. The network’s 52 urgent care centers saw a 21% drop in total antibiotic usage within the first year. This equates to 167,000 fewer prescriptions. Effectively, the stewardship program protects patients against antibiotic resistance, side effects, and medical costs.
Neal Shipley is the medical director at Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care. He stated that “the overuse of antibiotics can have a tremendous effect on the financial and physical health of our patients” “Urgent care centers across the country are the most likely to misuse antibiotics,” says Neal Shipley, medical director at Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care. This was something we couldn’t ignore and HANYS is proud to have recognized our team for their unwavering dedication to our customers.
Providing a platform for antibiotic stewardship in the country
Inappropriate antibiotic usage is a major problem in the United States, especially in urgent care. 39 per cent of all visits end in an antibiotic prescription. In the United States, approximately 2 million infections with antibiotic resistance and 23,000 deaths are caused by inappropriate antibiotic use each year. HANYS recognized the potential for replication and scaling up of Northwell-GoHealth’s ASP.
The ASP depends on the collaboration of clinical leaders who educate patients and practitioners to promote antibiotic awareness. Northwell-GoHealth’s Assistive Practices (ASP) has been adopted by GoHealth Urgent Care’s local markets throughout the country. The company hopes that other urgent care centers will develop their own programs.
Bea Grause (RN, JD), president, Healthcare Association of New York State, stated that “antimicrobial resistance” is a grave threat. “We are proud to recognize Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care for their outstanding antibiotic stewardship efforts. They deserve a Pinnacle Award. Their success is an inspiration to other providers looking for similar success.
HANYS’ Pinnacle Award for Patient Safety and Quality Improvement recognizes innovative quality initiatives and successful quality improvements in four categories, based on the organization size and type. The first of the four 2021 winners will be announced by Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care.
View Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care’s Pinnacle Award video profile for more information about their Antibiotic Stewardship program.
