Potential Value of a Practice Plan for Coccidioidomycosis in the Endemic Area

Coccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Valley fever, is a frequent cause of community-acquired pneumonia within the endemic regions. Although some 22,000 cases of coccidioidomycosis are reported annually, this is considered an underestimation by as much as 14-fold, in part due to insufficient testing of patients residing in the endemic area who present with pneumonia. Accordingly, investigators from a large healthcare system in Arizona implemented a clinical practice in February 2020 to recognize and manage coccidioidomycosis. Relevant information was provided during new employee orientation and as part of a quarterly refresher. To examine the resultant effects, data were collected on testing for coccidioidomycosis from urgent care clinics f…