Lisa Veach
Lisa Veach is an Infectious Disease physician with UnityPoint Health in Des Moines.  She completed medical school, Internal Medicine residency and Infectious Disease fellowship at the University of Iowa and has been in the practice of clinical Infectious Disease in Des Moines since 1990.  She has worked to expand access to infectious disease by establishing telehealth programs with outlying hospitals for real time care of inpatients as well as multi-disciplinary antimicrobial stewardship rounds.  She is active in the Internal Medicine Residency Program, where she has been awarded the Internal Medicine Teacher of the Year on three occasions. Lisa has served as the Infection Control Officer for UnityPoint Health – Des Moines since 1996 and was appointed Infection Prevention Medical Director for UnityPoint Health system-wide in 2022.

Title:
It’s a Win-Win – Urinary Tract Infection Diagnostic Excellence

Description: Testing of urine for infection is overutilized with subsequent risk for patient harm. In December 2024 a urine culture diagnostic excellence protocol was implemented across UnityPoint Health including inpatient, ED and ambulatory patient care settings. During this presentation we will review the data supporting the need for this work, the steps taken, the results to date and ongoing challenges.

Objectives:

1. Articulate the risks associated with unnecessary urine cultures.
2. Understand the longstanding myths that promote unnecessary urine cultures.
3. Understanding the challenges and potential outcomes of implementation of a reflex to culture pathway.