Sepsis

What Are We Measuring?

Sepsis is a life‑threatening emergency that happens when the body’s response to an infection begins to harm vital organs — and without quick treatment, it can be fatal. In simple terms, it’s the body’s overwhelming and toxic reaction to an infection. Just like strokes or heart attacks, sepsis requires immediate attention. Until there’s a cure, early recognition and rapid treatment remain the best ways to save lives and reduce long‑term complications for survivors.

How Well Are We Doing?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created a quality measure called SEP‑1 (Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle). It evaluates how well hospitals follow evidence‑based 3‑hour and 6‑hour treatment steps designed to detect and treat sepsis as early as possible. SEP‑1 is an “all‑or‑nothing” measure — every step must be completed within the required timeframes for a case to count as compliant.

This graph reflects the January data refresh on the CMS Care Compare website, covering the January 2024, 2025, and 2026 refresh cycles. Throughout this period, Hendricks Regional Health has consistently performed better than both state and national averages.

What Are We Doing to Prevent Sepsis and Improve Treatment?

At Hendricks Regional Health, handwashing is more than a routine — it’s one of the simplest, most meaningful ways we protect the people who trust us with their care. We take the same pride in keeping our spaces clean and welcoming, because a safe environment is a vital part of how we care for patients and their families.

Our strong SEP‑1 performance reflects our commitment to early detection and timely treatment of sepsis.

We’re always working to get better. A multidisciplinary team — representing many different roles in patient care — meets regularly to review our performance, identify opportunities, and take action to make care safer. Our electronic medical record continuously screens for signs of sepsis and alerts nurses and physicians so they can respond quickly. We’ve also built best‑practice order sets and screening tools into our workflows, and specialty‑trained nurses review patient records in real time for timely care.

Learn More

We encourage patients and family members to use many of the different resources available to compare and choose a hospital or healthcare provider. Examples include Medicare.gov Care Compare and Leapfrog Ratings as well as talking with your healthcare provider.