Sepsis Order Set Use Associated With Increased Care Value.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Informatics
• Health Economics

Background:

• Sepsis is a prevalent and costly condition, with sepsis order sets showing potential to improve patient care.
• Limited evidence exists on the impact of sepsis order sets on hospital care value and societal costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if sepsis order sets are associated with improved value of care in hospitalized patients.
• Value of care was defined by decreased hospital mortality, direct variable costs, and societal spending.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of patients discharged with sepsis codes.
• Propensity score matching was used to compare sepsis order set users and non-users.
• Analysis examined associations with hospital mortality, direct variable costs, and hospital revenue.

Main Results:

• Sepsis order set recipients had a 3.3% lower hospital mortality rate.
• Median direct variable costs were $1,487 lower for sepsis order set users (P < .01).
• Median payer-neutral reimbursement was $465 lower, indicating reduced societal costs (P < .01).

Conclusions:

• Sepsis order sets are associated with improved value of care from both hospital and societal perspectives.
• The findings support the broader implementation of sepsis order sets to enhance sepsis care efficiency and outcomes.