Antibiotic Stewardship Program

​At the quarterly Critical Access Hospital (CAH) FLEX virtual meeting held on December 8, attendees had the opportunity to learn about the Antibiotic Stewardship program. The Antibiotic Stewardship program is one of the many great programs that is offered through the FLEX grant through the SD Department of Health. During the meeting, attendees heard from Keegan Mason & Associates and from Philip Health Services who is one of the five SD CAH’s currently participating in the program.

Dr. James Keegan and Randee Mason, RN, BSN, CPHQ with Keegan Mason & Associates (KMA) are the consultants on the project and they have extensive experience in providing innovative best practice solution in many areas of healthcare. Particularly focusing on healthcare excellence with emphasis on patient safety, KMA has unique expertise in the area of results driving antibiotic stewardship – focusing on decreasing the incidence of resistant bacteria and Clostridium difficile.

During the presentation, Dr. Keegan and Randee Mason explain the science behind antibiotic stewardship and what critical access hospitals could expect if they would partner in this program. Stephanie Iwan from Philip Health Services presented on how the program has helped their facility and how easy it was to work with KMA on the project. Philip Health Services is one of five SD CAH that volunteered to participate in the program.