Righttime Medical Care Earns Antibiotic Stewardship Commendation from Urgent Care Association and College of Urgent Care Medicine

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Righttime Medical Care, an urgent care company with 20 locations in Maryland, has earned the Antibiotic Stewardship Commendation from the Urgent Care Association (UCA) and College of Urgent Care Medicine (CUCM). In order to achieve the Commendation, the UCA and CUCM required Righttime to provide evidence demonstrating a commitment to responsible antibiotic prescribing practices.

Medical science has demonstrated that the over-use of antibiotics for viral infections, in the absence of a bacterial source, is resulting in a growing impact on community health. The over-use of an antibiotic can lead to the development of resistant bacteria, which occurs when bacteria no longer respond to the drugs designed to successfully treat them.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year in the U.S. at least 2 million people acquire an antibiotic-resistant infection, and at least 23,000 people die as a result of antimicrobial resistance.

"Overprescribing antibiotics and using them incorrectly is a public health threat because they put everyone at increased risk for antibiotic resistance, meaning even simple bacterial infections eventually may not respond to treatment with conventional antibiotics," says Robert G. Graw, Jr., M.D., Righttime Medical Care CEO and Chief Pediatrician. "Righttime has taken a number of steps to educate our patients and medical providers about proper usage of antibiotics. We are proud to be recognized by the Urgent Care Association for maintaining the highest standards in prescribing and use of antibiotics. By being good stewards of these valuable medicines, we are playing an important role in maintaining their effectiveness for people across the globe."

The Antibiotic Stewardship Commendation program helps urgent care centers combat these numbers by training medical providers about appropriate prescribing procedures. Righttime also offers its patients printed and online materials that describe the differences between viral and bacterial infections, the importance of completing all prescribed antibiotics, and ways to relieve symptoms of viral infections other than with medications.

Righttime's medical leadership is committed to complying with core elements of the UCA's antibiotic stewardship program, which were developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• dedication to and accountability for improving antibiotic prescribing practices and patient safety;
• implementing policies to improve responsible prescribing and assessing their efficacy;
• tracking and reporting antibiotic prescribing rates and offering feedback to medical providers; and
• providing educational resources to medical providers and patients about antibiotics.

RIGHTTIME MEDICAL CARE simplifies access to trustworthy medical care for patients of all ages at its 20 urgent care locations in Maryland. Celebrating its 30th year, Righttime holds the Certified Urgent Care designation, which distinguishes it as among the top urgent care centers nationwide. Righttime is open 365 days a year and welcomes walk-in patients, while also offering same-day appointments online or via its Call Center as well as its RighttimeNOW™ telehealth service. Convenient services include x-rays, laboratory testing, a patient portal, and electronic health records which are shared with patients' physicians, specialists and collaborating medical institutions. For more information, visit myRighttime.com/antibiotics. For further information about the Antibiotic Stewardship Commendation program, visit ucaoa.org/ABSCommendation.

Contact: Ann-Marie Sedor, [email protected], 443-332-4260 x8130

SOURCE Righttime Medical Care

Related Links

https://www.myrighttime.com