Background

U.S. hospitals have reported compliance with the SEP-1 quality measure to Medicare since 2015. Finding an association between compliance and outcomes is essential to gauge measure effectiveness.

Research Question

What is the association between compliance with SEP-1 and 30-day mortality among Medicare beneficiaries?

Study Design and Methods

Studying patient-level data reported to Medicare by 3,241 hospitals from October 1, 2015 to March 31, 2017, we used propensity score matching and a hierarchical general linear model (HGLM) to estimate the treatment effects associated with compliance with SEP-1. Compliance was defined as completion of all qualifying SEP-1 elements including lactate measurements, blood culture collection, broad-spectrum antibiotic administration, 30 ml/kg crystalloid fluid administration, application of vasopressors, and patient reassessment. The primary outcome was a change in 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included changes in length-of-stay.

Results

We completed two matches to evaluate population-level treatment effects. In “Standard-match” 122,870 patients whose care was compliant were matched with the same number whose care was non-compliant. Compliance was associated with a reduction in 30-day mortality: 21.81% versus 27.48% yielding an ARR of 5.67% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.33–6.00; P < 0.001). In “Stringent-match” 107,016 patients whose care was compliant were matched with the same number whose care was non-compliant. Compliance was associated with a reduction in 30-day mortality: 22.22% versus 26.28% yielding an ARR of 4.06% (95% CI: 3.70–4.41; P < 0.001). At the subject-level, our HGLM model found compliance associated with lower 30-day risk-adjusted mortality (adjusted conditional odds ratio = 0.829; 95% CI: 0.812–0.846; P < 0001). Multiple elements correlated with lower mortality. Median length-of-stay was shorter among cases whose care was compliant (5 vs. 6 days; IQR: 3–9 vs. 4–10; P < 0.001).

Interpretation

Compliance with SEP-1 was associated with lower 30-day mortality. Rendering SEP-1 compliant care may reduce the incidence of avoidable deaths.