Podcast details system’s 20% drop in sepsis mortality

In an American Hospital Association podcast, Ochsner Health staff discuss how they used smart technology, clinician-led design and flexible implementation to reduce sepsis-related mortality by 20% across its health system in two years. Previously, sepsis accounted for more than half of the Jefferson, La.-based health system’s deaths. Ochsner convened a multi-stakeholder committee, including a hospitalist who understood informatics and could translate sepsis-reduction processes into workflows. Ochsner standardized its sepsis protocol and required all hospitals to use the same electronic medical record but allowed for flexible implementation. Ochsner’s EMR provides risk levels for patients and alerts clinicians sooner to a potential sepsis diagnosis. The system ensures nurses can screen for sepsis as soon as they receive an alert.