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. 2022 May 24;327(20):2018-2019.
doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.5471.

Antibiotic Prescriptions Associated With COVID-19 Outpatient Visits Among Medicare Beneficiaries, April 2020 to April 2021

Sharon V Tsay  1 , Monina Bartoces  1 , Katryna Gouin  1 , Sarah Kabbani  1 , Lauri A Hicks  1
Affiliations

Antibiotic Prescriptions Associated With COVID-19 Outpatient Visits Among Medicare Beneficiaries, April 2020 to April 2021

Sharon V Tsay et al. JAMA. .

Abstract

This study of Medicare claims data examines the prescribing of antibiotics to older US patients who had outpatient visits for COVID-19 in an effort to address unnecessary antibiotic use for viral infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Bartoces is employed by Weems Design Studio Inc and Ms Gouin is employed by Chenega Enterprise Systems & Solutions; both are assigned to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of contracts covering multiple tasks and positions. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure.
Figure.. Outpatient Visits for COVID-19 and Associated Antibiotic Prescriptions Among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 65 Years or Older, by Setting, US, April 2020 to April 2021
The volume of COVID-19 visits differed by setting: emergency department, 525 608 (45.8% of all visits); office, 295 983 (25.3%); telehealth, 260 261 (22.3%); and urgent care, 77 268 (6.6%).
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References

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