DOH Proposed Rule Seeking to Identify and Treat Sepsis

On June 19, 2017, the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH), published a Rule Proposal that would require hospitals to implement and update protocols and training for the early identification and treatment of sepsis and septic shock. The proposed regulations would complement already existing infection prevention programs.

Sepsis, which is a life-threatening complication of infection, is treatable if it is addressed as a medical emergency. Patients diagnosed and treated within an hour following presentation have over an 80% survival rate.

Sepsis is the most expensive condition treated in U.S. hospitals, accounting for $23.7 billion annually. It is also the second most common cause of hospitalization, resulting in approximately 1.3 million stays.

The social impact of sepsis includes the following:

• Sepsis is the largest killer of children, with more than 4,400 children dying annually
• Each year, at least 75,000 maternal deaths worldwide are a result of sepsis
• 258,000 people die from sepsis annually in the U.S., which is more than from prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined
• More than 38 sepsis cases require amputation each day.

Comments to the rule proposal must be submitted by August 18, 2017 and can be submitted through DOH’s website: http://www.nj.gov/health/legal/rules/notice-of-rule-proposals/ecomments.shtml