According to a recent KLAS report, adoption of Cerner’s and Epic’s EHR-based sepsis detection is higher than all other sepsis solutions combined, with customers of both reporting improved outcomes, including mortality reductions. The new report reveals sepsis detection and treatment is taking a big step forward as providers increasingly utilize surveillance and monitoring technology available through EMR vendors and third-party providers.
“We have been using (the Cerner sepsis) product for seven months with excellent results”, reports an IT Director. “The protocols and criteria are very inclusive and thorough. Reducing septic shock and sepsis is very beneficial to us and our patients. The solution has reduced length-of-stay numbers, mortality, and readmissions.” While Cerner’s sepsis solution is easily deployed, Epic users report the need for significant in-house effort for implementation and integration into workflows. Use of sepsis solutions by other EMR vendors lags, though MEDITECH recently developed a solution for sepsis.
Of 95 providers interviewed for the KLAS report who are employing sepsis solutions, 69 percent reported improved outcomes – with up to a 50 percent drop in mortality, while 23 percent said it was too early in deployment of the technology to have reportable results. Providers also reported improved outcomes in terms of reduced treatment costs, length of stay and readmissions.
Because most EMR vendors lack easily deployed sepsis solutions, some providers are looking to other sources. Infection control and surveillance vendors such as Wolters Kluwer and VigiLanz are perceived as most focused. “(Wolters Kluwer’s) POC Advisor pulls data out of our EHR to an engine with all of these rules and then shoots alerts to mobile devices,” observes one CMIO. “We are giving needed information to providers at the point of care no matter where they are. We get more of a real-time perspective verses the retrospective chart reviews that we would get three to six months later.” Health Catalyst and LogicStream Health leverage their analytics to provide retrospective views of clinical effectiveness and spur effective end-user change management.
KLAS interviewed 102 providers who have not adopted sepsis solutions, finding that 53 percent are considering an EMR module or in-house development using the EMR platform, 19 percent are considering a third-party solution, and 28 percent are not considering solutions. While many of these providers are approaching sepsis detection and treatment through established protocols and reporting, one VP of Quality observes, “Deciding to do something about sepsis needs to be a hospital’s or health system’s first step prior to thinking about what tools to use.”
“Up to half of hospital deaths are due to sepsis, according to research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA),” notes KLAS analyst Kody Hansen, who co-authored the report with KLAS analyst Jon Christensen. “While this is an initial report, KLAS is committed to ongoing research on sepsis solutions as we seek to help vendors and providers work together to cut down on mortality rates due to sepsis.”
