Marc Meyer
Improving Antimicrobial Stewardship Nationwide Through Untiring Leadershippatients safer through leadership
Marc Meyer, BPharm, RPh, CIC, FAPIC
Southwest Memorial Hospital
Cortez, Colorado
Marc Meyer has tirelessly leveraged his infection prevention and pharmacy expertise to become a recognized leader and advocate for antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), driving improvements in his small critical-access facility, his community and nationwide.
A pharmacist by training, Meyer assumed responsibility for his 25-bed hospital’s infection control department in 1995. “I saw an ideal marriage between clinical pharmacy and infection prevention,” Meyer said. “These departments really need to work together, especially in small hospitals.”
Meyer quickly recognized the importance of using data to mobilize infection prevention improvements. He also instituted a collaborative, education-based guideline-development process that “works every time.” Southwest Memorial credits Meyer and his department for a 60 percent decline in surgical site infections and a 30 percent decline in multi-drug resistant organisms.
But Meyer knew that hospital-based efforts alone would not preserve antimicrobial efficacy. As a member of the Colorado Hospital Association’s AMS collaborative, he works with 26 hospitals statewide to improve stewardship. He also conducts outreach to community dentists, medical clinics and long-term care facilities. Meyer designed a urinary tract infection (UTI) stewardship program for a long-term care chain that resulted in a two-day decrease in therapy days as well as a 27 percent reduction in UTIs. “Medical directors in the centers were skeptical and guidelines often weren’t enough to convince them,” Meyer said. “One-on-one discussions and training really made a difference.”
Extending his advocacy and leadership even further, Meyer has helped the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Quality Forum develop ASM guidance documents.
Arjun Srinivasan, MD, the CDC’s Associate Director for Healthcare Associated Infection Prevention Programs said, “Marc’s rare combination of infection control and pharmacy expertise, along with many years of service in a critical access hospital, make him an invaluable resource to us.”
“Rural health is truly different,” Meyer said. “I’m proud to be a leader for these facilities.”