Read the case study below and answer the two questions at the end.

     

Case Study 3: Action Improving Mortality from Sepsis One academic health system charged its health IT and quality improvement experts with analyzing the system's mortality outcomes from sepsis. The group chose percent mortality in sepsis (i.e., the percentage of patients with sepsis who died) as the key metric to evaluate. Exhibit 7.12 shows the baseline data for the institution's percent mortality in sepsis, showing that, on average, 39.25 percent of patients with sepsis died from it. The partnership with health IT provided the baseline data needed to develop an action plan to improve outcomes. Along with the outcome metric shown in exhibit 7.12, multiple process measures were obtained, revealing clear gaps in performance and opportunities for improvement. Through detailed process mapping-incorporating both direct observations of the process and brainstorming sessions with the care delivery team to discuss barriers to timely interventions and assessments-the team developed a practical, visual algorithm that was ready to be "test-driven" on paper. The improvement was developed to blend into the workflow at the bedside and turn an often complex and chaotic process into a streamlined and predict- able one. Still missing, though, was the anywhere/anytime access afforded by having this process embedded in the EHR.