Celebrating Sepsis Awareness Month

September is Sepsis Awareness Month, a vital time for providers to lead the charge against one of the most lethal and costly conditions in U.S. healthcare. Sepsis claims a life every two minutes and affects over 1.7 million Americans annually. Tragically, 350,000 adults die from sepsis each year—more than the combined deaths from opioid overdoses, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. It remains the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals and the top reason for hospital readmissions, costing over $3.5 billion annually. Sepsis is the number one cost of hospitalization, with acute care and skilled nursing expenses estimated at $62 billion per year.

Providers play a pivotal role in early identification and intervention. Use the designated sepsis order sets—ED System Sepsis / Septic Shock (12105) for emergency care and System Sepsis / Septic Shock (12991) for inpatient care—to initiate the SEP-1 bundle. This includes timely blood cultures, lactic acid, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and IV fluid resuscitation. These interventions should be started within three hours of suspect sepsis, ideally within the first hour. For patients with hypotension or lactate ≥ 4 mg/dL, 30mL/kg of IV crystalloids are required, with documentation needed if contraindications exist. Continued care should be supported using the system sepsis order set and the Zone tool on the Patient Education intranet.

For questions or to get involved, contact Erin Macsay, MSN, APRN-CNS, at eemacsay@premierhealth.com. Each site is actively seeking provider champions to join their sepsis committees and help lead this life-saving initiative.

Back to the September 2025 issue of Premier Pulse