The number of sepsis-related hospitalizations for Medicare patients has increased significantly since 2012, according to new HHS research published in Critical Care Medicine.
Researchers analyzed data on more than 9.5 million hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries between 2012 and 2018. The research represents the largest Medicare-focused sepsis study ever published in the U.S.
Four study findings:
1. Medicare enrollment rates increased 22 percent between 2012 and 2018, while sepsis-related hospitalizations jumped 40 percent.
2. The average inpatient cost per stay among Medicare patients decreased over the study time period.
3. However, the increase in sepsis cases caused annual Medicare spending on hospital admissions and subsequent skilled nursing care to jump from $27.7 billion in 2012 to $41.5 billion in 2018.
4. Researchers project the cost of sepsis care could surpass $62 billion in 2019 based on current trends.
To learn more, click here.
More articles on patient safety and outcomes:
Depression can last up to a year after a stroke, study finds
CMS: 2 patient deaths resulted from failures by Kansas hospital staff
200 rural, critical access hospitals honored for top performance in 2020