Data, Education, and Partnership: A Multi-Year Approach to Antibiotic Stewardship

With limited new antibiotics in the pipeline and growing antibiotic resistance, Community First Health Plans needed a different approach to stewardship. This led to the creation of a strategic model that rests on three pillars: data transparency, education, and collaboration.

Patricia Favila, Executive Director of Pharmacy Services, explains the strategy: "We started to meet with our top ten provider groups and really had good conversation about how they could help us and how we could help them. We made this a two-way dialogue."

Starting in 2016, the team established a baseline and began sharing data with providers – not punitively, but to help them make positive changes. Regular quarterly meetings with medical directors created peer-to-peer conversations that kept providers engaged. Financial alignment through value-based care reinforced the message that appropriate prescribing matters. The result: tremendous progress recognized by NCQA, proving that patience, perseverance, and partnerships can turn the ship around.

Get her perspective on overcoming provider barriers, incorporating stewardship into incentive programs, and why AI at the point of care will shape the future.