GNYHA and the United Hospital Fund (UHF), as part of its ongoing effort to improve the quality of care in clinical areas, will launch a new initiative focused on identifying and treating sepsis. Sepsis is the body’s inflammatory response to an infection, and in severe cases, sepsis can shut down the body’s essential organs. As the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, sepsis creates an estimated $16.7 billion dollars in health care costs annually. Early recognition of symptoms and treatment greatly improves the chances of patient recovery.

The goals of the STOP (Strengthening Treatment and Outcomes for Patients) Sepsis Collaborative are (a) to reduce mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock by developing a protocol-based approach to case identification and rapid treatment; and (b) to enhance communication and patient flow between the emergency department and other areas of the hospital, in particular, the ICUs.

For more information on the Collaborative, please visit the GNYHA STOP Sepsis Collaborative Resource Center.