Timely completion of a 3-hour bundle of sepsis treatments and early administration of antibiotics are associated with reduced risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality, according to a New York State Department of Health study published this spring in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Co-authored by IPRO Senior Director Kathleen M. Terry, Ph.D., the study examined whether adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines at emergency rooms can reduce mortality from deadly infections. The authors found that 83% of sepsis patients at hospitals across the state received the three-hour care bundle within the expected time frame but that each hour to completion of the bundle was associated with higher in-hospital mortality. Sepsis affects an estimate 1.5 million Americans annually, at a cost estimated to exceed $20 billion. The NYSDOH study follows implementation of regulations in 2013 that require hospitals to use evidence-based protocols for sepsis identification and management and to report data and outcomes to the state. Protocol use increased and mortality decreased in New York since the regulations went into effect. As a NYSDOH implementation business partner, IPRO worked with the Department and a Sepsis Advisory Group to develop a data dictionary, measures and reporting mechanisms. IPRO reviewed hospital protocols, designed an electronic data portal, collected and analyzed all data, and measured and assured data integrity through audits, webinars and managing a help-desk. For a copy of the article, “Time to Treatment and Mortality during Mandated Emergency Care for Sepsis,” (June 8, 2017) visit the NEJM website at nejm.org.