A bipartisan group of senators on June 4 reintroduced the Securing Enhanced Programs, Systems, and Initiatives for Sepsis Act, a bill that would direct the CDC to lead national efforts aimed at curbing sepsis-related deaths and improving management of the complex condition.
Four notes:
1. The SEPSIS Act — reintroduced by Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Andy Kim, D-N.J. — would require the CDC to lead a national education campaign sharing best practices for hospitals to address the condition. It also directs the agency to improve data collection on pediatric sepsis; coordinate with CMS to establish and implement quality measures to improve sepsis outcomes; and brief Congress annually on sepsis activities. Additionally, the bill proposes a voluntary program to spotlight hospitals excelling in overall management and prevention.
2. The legislation builds on the CDC’s hospital sepsis “core elements” program, which launched in 2023. The program includes resources and guidance to support hospitals in establishing leadership and accountability structures to improve early identification and survival rates.
3. Sepsis remains a critical, costly challenge for hospitals across the country. The condition is notoriously known as difficult to identify, and contributes to about 350,000 hospital deaths annually among the 1.7 million people diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Hospital clinical leaders are increasingly focused on developing pathways and workflow optimizations to support frontline teams in early recognition and intervention.
4. The American Hospital Association said it supports the bill.
“America’s hospitals and health systems are committed to improving patient safety and reducing sepsis,” Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, AHA senior vice president of advocacy and political affairs, said in a blog post following the reintroduction. “We thank Senators Schumer, Collins and Kim for their leadership on this important issue and support the SEPSIS Act’s efforts to combat this life-threatening condition through increased education and development of a sepsis outcome measure that could help better assess progress, reduce unnecessary administrative burden and improve sepsis care.”
