Inside STAT: CMS leader talks fighting antimicrobial resistance

A MICROBIOLOGIST WORKS WITH TUBES OF BACTERIA SAMPLES IN AN ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND CHARACTERIZATION LAB AT THE CDC IN ATLANTA. (DAVID GOLDMAN/AP)

Antimicrobial resistance is all too common a problem. The innate difficulty in killing bugs that are bound to come up with ways to overcome drugs has meant that new antibiotics are scarce and many Americans who desperately need new treatments are left in the lurch. In a new First Opinion for STAT, CMS Administrator Seema Verma writes that her agency has taken steps to address this need, mostly by removing what she calls “regulatory roadblocks.” For instance, CMS has expanded a pathway for new antibiotics to receive additional payments and to increase payments for them. The agency has also updated how it pays hospitals to provide the facilities with the necessary resources to treat the sickest patients with resistant infections. Read more here.