Healthcare providers are becoming more adept at preventing and treating sepsis, the top cause of hospital deaths and the most expensive hospital-associated condition, even as sepsis-related costs are soaring, according to a new report published by the Charlotte-based Premier Inc. That analysis found that its member hospitals achieved a 15 percent decline in the incidence of hospital-associated sepsis over the last three years. However, patients who develop sepsis in the hospital are becoming sicker, and the average cost of these cases has increased by more than 20 percent, according to a press release made public on March 21.
Premier published the analysis in its latest data-driven report, “Margin of Excellence: Lowering the Incidence and Severity of Hospital-Associated Sepsis,” which highlights the major opportunities to treat sepsis in the hospital and reduce the frequency and severity of this life-threatening condition. According to Premier discharge data from approximately 870 hospitals, hospital-associated sepsis as a percentage of all sepsis cases decreased by 15 percent from September 2015 to October 2018. Findings also show mortality rates for all sepsis patients dropped by 8 percent and readmission rates fell by 7 percent.
Much of these quality gains are the result of performance improvement efforts led by Premier to address sepsis outcomes and costs across the industry. Since 2008, approximately 350 participants in Premier’s quality improvement collaboratives have leveraged customized data reports to determine their specific opportunity areas; connect with peers to develop and share best practices; and implement practices that improve the quality of care. Over the course of nine years, these participants reduced sepsis cases by more than 36 percent and sepsis mortality by more than 18 percent, generating lessons learned that can be leveraged by all acute-care members of Premier.
“Much like choking or a heart attack, sepsis is a medical emergency that requires prompt action – and our findings show that hospitals are proactively responding and saving lives,” said Madeleine Biondolillo, M.D., vice president of quality innovation at Premier, in a statement contained in the press release. “Together with Premier, our members have truly stepped up efforts to identify and treat patients who present with sepsis, many of whom are admitted through the emergency department.”
While hospitals have made advancements, the Premier analysis also showed that during this timeframe, patients who developed sepsis in the hospital were 10 percent more likely to suffer from the most severe form of sepsis, known as septic shock. Meanwhile, the average cost per case for hospital-associated sepsis grew 20 percent to just over $70,000 – about seven times higher than the average cost per stay across all other conditions.
What’s more, the press release noted, “Premier’s findings show that the average cost per case for hospital-associated sepsis jumped more than 20 percent from approximately $58,000 in October 2015 to just over $70,000 in September 2018. This indicates that in 2018, hospitals in aggregate were spending an additional $1.5 billion to treat patients with hospital-associated sepsis compared to just three years prior.”
The report’s authors recommend that provider leaders “leverage business intelligence with robust data and analytics capabilities to create targeted care delivery efforts that support clinical efficiency and improve quality for sepsis care across service lines”; “utilize clinician-enabling tools that support clinical surveillance and the delivery of evidence-based care”; “optimize the lab and pharmacy with tests and formulations that enable rapid identification of sepsis as well as access to the appropriate therapies”; and “promote a culture of care delivery optimization by championing collaboration and sustainability to connect the dots between quality improvement, cost reduction and patient outcomes.”
