Community Hospital in the Northern Great Plains Sees Sustained Reduction in Antibiotic Use and Spend with TeleInfectious Disease Service

Access TeleCare Case Study

When a community hospital in the Northern Great Plains lost its on-site infectious disease physician to retirement, leadership needed a solution that could maintain antibiotic stewardship oversight and support clinical teams without gaps in expertise.

The Challenge

A 46-bed rural community hospital in the Northern Great Plains region, faced a critical inflection point when its long-standing infectious disease physician announced retirement. Options for recruiting an in-person replacement were extremely limited, consistent with national shortages in infectious disease specialists, particularly in rural and frontier areas.

At the same time, hospital leadership sought to optimize antibiotic utilization and associated pharmacy spend while strengthening stewardship oversight.

The Solution

In January 2023, the hospital partnered with Access TeleCare to implement both teleInfectious disease inpatient consultative and treatment management services and comprehensive Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) oversight.

The teleInfectious disease service introduced structured stewardship protocols, twice-weekly joint ASP-hospitalist case reviews, and evidence-based prescribing optimization, and collaborative engagement with on-site clinicians and pharmacy staff.

“The teleInfectious disease program has surpassed expectations in terms of both financial and patient care impact. We are reducing our pharmacy spend and antibiotic use with expert infectious disease specialty consultation.”

– Community Hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer

Antimicrobial stewardship isn’t just about compliance. It’s about ensuring the right treatment, at the right time, with the right oversight. After implementing teleInfectious disease and antibiotic stewardship, a community hospital in the Northern Great Plains saw significant reductions in antibiotic utilization and pharmacy spend while strengthening clinical collaboration.

See how the program worked and the results it delivered.

Download the Case Study

Results

50% reduction in antibiotic spend during initial teleInfectious disease engagement

Following implementation of teleInfectious Disease consultations and structured antimicrobial stewardship oversight, the hospital reduced antibiotic utilization costs by more than half. Through evidence-based prescribing guidance, case reviews, and stewardship interventions, the program helped eliminate unnecessary antibiotic use while ensuring patients received appropriate therapy.

75% reduction in antibiotic spend after reinstating teleInfectious disease and ASP services

When teleInfectious Disease and Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) services were reintroduced, antibiotic costs fell by more than 75%. The rapid return of these results demonstrated the direct impact that infectious disease expertise and active stewardship oversight can have on prescribing practices, resource utilization, and pharmacy spend.

Sustained cost containment without compromising clinical excellence

Cost reductions were achieved through optimization—not restriction—of antibiotic therapy. Patients continued to receive expert infectious disease consultation and evidence-based treatment recommendations, allowing the hospital to improve stewardship performance, reduce unnecessary utilization, and maintain high standards of patient care simultaneously.