Augusta Health Infectious Disease

Addressing a range of illnesses from influenza to Lyme Disease to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), the Infectious Disease practice at Augusta Health is one of the hospital's most varied and publicly visible services. Patients with a direct referral from a primary care physician or an Augusta Health hospitalist are treated by our physician who is board-certified in infectious disease and internal medicine.

The comfortable office and exam room, located in the Medical Office Building on campus, offers one-on-one consultation in a convenient setting for inpatients at Augusta Health as well as for outpatient visits. In addition to providing consultations to patients while hospitalized and follow-up when they are released, the infectious disease specialist works closely with staff in the Wound Healing Clinic to treat challenging infections.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Allison Baroco also communicates regularly with the Virginia Department of Health's local epidemiologist and serves as chair of the hospital's Infection Control and Prevention Committee. These important roles ensure that Augusta Health is equipped to treat and contain flu and other communicable disease outbreaks in the area.

Services and Tests

Our infectious disease specialist works with primary care physicians and hospitalists to treat:

• infections that are difficult to diagnose
• infections that are accompanied by a high fever
• infections that do not respond to treatment
• healthy people who plan to travel to another country or a location where infection risk is higher
• patients who have an underlying chronic health condition, such as HIV/AIDS

The specialist will review your medical data, including X-rays and laboratory reports such as blood work and culture data.

Common Tests

• physical exam
• blood, other bodily fluid, or wound cultures
• blood serum analysis (to detect antibodies that indicate type of infection)

Treatment

• Medicines (usually antibiotics): prescribed to help battle the infection and prevent it from returning. May be given orally (in the form of pills or liquids) or administered directly into the veins via an IV tube. The Infectious Disease practice works closely with the Augusta Health Infusion Center, located in the same building, to decrease the likelihood that patients need to be hospitalized following IV treatment.
• Home care: if needed, patients will be provided with guidelines for continuing treatment when released from care
• Follow-up visit: allows the specialist to check on progress, confirm that the infection is gone, and help prevent it from coming back.

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