*Patientsbaseline: the total number of patients that are counted with the diagnosis of severe sepsis and/or septic shock
Notes:
Patients with severe sepsis and/or septic shock are determined by the following ICD9 diagnosis codes: 995.92 (Severe Sepsis) and 785.52 (Septic Shock). Additionally, patients must be admitted to the intensive care unit from the emergency department or from an acute floor setting. If feasible, manual review of diagnosis codes is desirable due to the complex nature of sepsis.
Data Collection:
Data may be pulled from electronic billing data with the above diagnosis codes. Additionally, data may be collected exclusively through manual chart review, or a hybrid method of chart review and electronic billing data.
Limitations:
Sepsis mortality rates are derived by healthcare organizations differently. We recommend risk adjusting the outcome measure, in this case mortality, and consider exclusion criteria such as: DNR status, comfort care as goal of care established.
Settings:
Intensive care units, emergency department, and acute floor settings.
Mortality (will be calculated by the Patient Safety Movement Foundation):
The PSMF, when available, will use the mortality rates associated with Hospital Acquired Conditions targeted in the Partnership for Patient’s grant funded Hospital Engagement Networks (HEN). The program targeted 10 hospital acquired conditions to reduce medical harm and costs of care. “At the outset of the PfP initiative, HHS agencies contributed their expertise to developing a measurement strategy by which to track national progress in patient safety—both in general and specifically related to the preventable HACs being addressed by the PfP. In conjunction with CMS’s overall leadership of the PfP, AHRQ has helped coordinate development and use of the national measurement strategy. The results using this national measurement strategy have been referred to as the “AHRQ National Scorecard,” which provides summary data on the national HAC rate.\cite{sepsis13}