Antimicrobial Stewardship 2017
AMS Tools Significantly Driving Patient Interventions

1. Premier and Wolters Kluwer Driving Highest Satisfaction with Interventions

Arming clinicians with real-time data is the ultimate goal of any AMS program, and this is where Premier and Wolters Kluwer excel most. Premier users highlight the real-time notifications. Wolters Kluwer customers like the flexibility of the rules. Both can make on-the-fly adjustments to the rules and are able to build complex, prioritized rules that strengthen provider interventions and lead to better overall outcomes, such as decreased days of therapy and improved drug optimization. Epic customers value having lab, EMR, and pharmacy data aggregated in a single AMS tool. They would like more-robust drill-down functionality for reports. VigiLanz providers love the wide-ranging capabilities of their custom-built notifications. However, system adjustments require more interaction with vendor resources, which can cause delays. Though able to create notifications and internal reports, BD customers are hindered by data discrepancies between the EMR and AMS solution.

2. VigiLanz’s Broad Interfacing Results in Detailed Metric Tracking

The ability to track internal AMS metrics is crucial to a good AMS program because it enables users to see trending and benchmarking data. It can be tricky to do well because data from many different sources must be aggregated, analyzed, and made easy to digest. VigiLanz customers have strong customization abilities and highly value VigiLanz’s robust interfaces, which successfully pull in data from many areas. Premier and BD have highly accurate reporting for notifications; their metric-tracking capabilities are more limited. Some Premier customers who have taken a recent update feel it addresses this issue and also improves antimicrobial use and resistance (AUR) reporting. While the reports from Epic and Wolters Kluwer provide important information, Epic’s need to be more granular (to provide floor- and unit-level data), and some Wolters Kluwer users want more out-of-the-box functionality. For government reporting, Epic users must build their own reports. The 2017 update looks to improve this functionality. Both Wolters Kluwer and BD customers report that some reporting features cost extra.

3. Epic and VigiLanz More Resource Intensive to Customize; All Vendors Need an Improved Antibiogram

The core functionality of any AMS system—the custom rules and the antibiogram—is what allows users to identify opportunities for intervention and track internal metrics. VigiLanz’s rule sets are highly customizable and often require the vendor’s help. VigiLanz’s responsive support helps bridge this gap by building the right rules for their customers’ unique goals. Conversely, high satisfaction among Wolters Kluwer users stems from being able to customize and create rules on their own without having to involve the vendor. Operationalizing Epic’s tools requires significant internal resources and expertise, which can lead to frustration. Though Premier users can adjust the rules on their own, the tool is complex and has a high learning curve. Likewise, the complexity of BD’s tool makes it difficult for some customers to get all the customization they want. Regardless of vendor, most organizations want more-advanced antibiogram functionality, though the VigiLanz, BD, and Epic systems are more interactive and customizable and have better drill-down capabilities. Premier and Wolters Kluwer users would like more-efficient drill-down functionality and the ability to examine more types of data. Epic and Premier customers on newer versions report improved functionality.

4. VigiLanz’s Support Drives Top Overall Satisfaction

Providers new to AMS programs highly value guidance and expertise from their vendors, and VigiLanz’s proactive support has driven their top overall satisfaction rating. Provider interest in VigiLanz has grown over the last few years, and customers receive strong guidance and expertise that ensures their success. Wolters Kluwer customers say they benefit from knowledgeable, robust support. They would like to see their feedback implemented more quickly, as would BD customers. To help mitigate the complexities of their system, Premier has a focus on up-front training. While no interviewed customers report being unsatisfied with Premier’s optimization services, some would like more-accessible technical resources after the go-live. Epic users feel the overall development is improving but want more guidance for optimizing the solution.

Writer
Elizabeth Pew

Designer
Jess Wallace-Simpson