01.13.2020

A New Tool to Address Sepsis in Hospitals

Collective Medical, the company whose product is helping Massachusetts hospitals address the opioid epidemic, has announced that it is expanding its capabilities to help in the fight against sepsis in hospitals.
 
The Collective Medical platform (formerly known as PreManage ED) gives emergency department clinicians instant alerts about a patient’s past prescription history along with other data such as recent hospital utilization. Nearly all hospitals in the commonwealth are in the Collective network.
 
Now Collective is rolling out notification functionality that identifies patients with a history of sepsis so that care teams may more quickly intervene to address these patients’ unique needs. Sepsis accounts for more than one third of hospital deaths and more than $24 billion in hospital expenses. Because 42.6% of severe sepsis survivors were re-hospitalized within 90 days, it’s critical for care teams to know these patients are at high-risk and in need of special attention.
 
MHA is a founding member of the Massachusetts Sepsis Consortium, a partnership of more than 25 state and national health, advocacy, and government organizations that the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety brought together to raise awareness and to develop protocols for rapid detection and treatment. The consortium’s April 2019 report includes 17 recommendations that hospitals and emergency departments can undertake to reduce the incidence of sepsis. Adoption and implementation of an evidence-based screening tool at initial ED evaluation tops the recommendation list.
 
“Massachusetts hospitals are on the front lines of dealing with sepsis and are committed to improving early diagnosis and treatment of this life-threatening condition, particularly when patients come in to an emergency department,” said Patricia Noga, R.N., PhD, MHA’s V.P of clinical affairs. “MHA is pleased to have an additional tool to help address this vital public health concern.”