Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Cost the U.S. Healthcare System in Excess of $20 Billio...(late Senator Edward M. Kennedy In d...),Health

In discussions with the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the topic of drug resistance and healthcare, "I spoke frequently with Senator Kennedy about the avoidable costs from the misuse of antibiotics," Levy said. "Without fail, the senator always concluded our discussions on the topic by telling me that we need to quantify the cost of treating antibiotic-resistant infections in order to make any real progress toward an appropriate policy for antibiotic stewardship. In a very real sense, this study grew from those talks with the late senator."

"This study is the first to quantify the alarming impact of antibiotic resistant infections on treatment costs and patient outcomes," said Herb Steward, general manager and executive vice president bioMerieux North America, which funded this study. "It also highlights the vital role of simple, rapid and cost effective diagnostics in order to get the right information to clinicians as fast as possible so they can treat patients appropriately and use antibiotics prudently, while improving care and patient outcomes and reining in unnecessary costs."

Societal impact more than just financial

"The societal financial impact of $15 million based on just over 188 cases of ARI is an alarming finding," said Dr. Robert A. Weinstein, interim chairman, Department of Medicine, Cook County (Stroger) Hospital, professor of Medicine at Rush University Medical College, and a senior author and initiator of the project at Cook County (Stroger) Hospital. "Sustaining these kinds of costs is simply not tenable for individual families and for the economy at large. With healthcare reform and the focus on the direct cost of care, this study should remind us that every dollar spent to treat avoidable illness ripples throughout society and has an impact on individual, family, community, and corporate budgets across the nation."

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