This month’s registry spotlight is on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Inpatient Core Measure – Sepsis.
Registry Partners’ Core/Sepsis/Get With the Guidelines Service Line assists facilities and institutions nationwide with their Sepsis Core Measure data collection efforts. We serve as a complete outsource solution or can augment the facility’s current data collection team to ensure high quality, timely, and accurate data collection and submission.
Read on to learn more about the Sepsis Core Measure.
What is Sepsis?
According to Healthline, Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by the body’s response to infection. Sepsis develops when the chemicals the immune system releases into the bloodstream to fight an infection cause inflammation throughout the body instead.
What is the Purpose of the Core Measure-Sepsis?
Sepsis and septic shock are the leading causes of death worldwide. In October of 2015, CMS and The Joint Commission (TJC) launched a Sepsis Core Measure for all Joint Commission-accredited U.S. hospitals. They established this core measure with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality rates in septic patients by implementing evidence-based process measures.
What are the Benefits of Participating in the Sepsis Core Measure?
According to CMS, the Sepsis Core Measure has many benefits for facility participants, including:
Core Quality Measures Collaborative: identifies core sets of quality measures that payers have committed to using for reporting
- Promotion of measurement that is evidence-based and generates valuable information for quality improvement
- Ongoing monitoring by the Collaborative of the use of these measures enables modifications of measure sets, as needed, and based on lessons learned, includes minimization of unintended consequences and selection of new measures as better measures become available
- Reducing the burden on providers and focusing on quality improvement on key areas across payers improves the quality of care for patients more effectively and efficiently
What type of information does the Sepsis Core Measure collect?
This measure contains several elements including measurement of lactate, collection of blood cultures, administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics, fluid resuscitation, vasopressor administration, reassessment of volume status and tissue perfusion, and repeat lactate measurement. These elements are performed as early management of sepsis and septic shock. Physicians follow a CMS Sepsis Core Measure Algorithm to guide the treatment of sepsis.
What tools are used in the Data Collection Process for the Sepsis Core Measure?
The Sepsis Core Measure is consistent with the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines, which contain protocols, checklists, policies, and other similar documents to utilize while abstracting. The Campaign also provides a paper screening tool to assist in the evaluation of patients in the hospital that may be used for any unit. These helpful tools aid in abstraction in conjunction with the facility’s paper or Electronic Health Record (EHR). Additional resources, such as articles, presentations, webcasts, and podcasts exist on the Surviving Sepsis Campaign website for even more in-depth guidelines to accurate data collection for the Sepsis Core Measure.
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