END SEPSIS Returns to Capitol Hill for Bill Reintroduction

We are proud to share that the SEPSIS Act—the bipartisan bill first introduced in the Senate last September—was officially reintroduced into the new Congress on Thursday, June 5th. This legislation represents a major milestone in our national effort to combat the sepsis crisis.

The bill is being co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), and Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), reflecting growing bipartisan momentum. In a powerful show of support, the bill has also been endorsed by the American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals, two leading voices in the healthcare sector.

To mark this important development, END SEPSIS returned to Capitol Hill this week to engage with lawmakers and staff. We met with key members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where we emphasized the staggering human and economic toll of sepsis on American families and the healthcare system.

Our meetings included productive conversations with senior staff from the offices of Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Ashley Moody (R-FL), in addition to direct engagement with the offices of co-sponsors Senators Schumer and Collins.

END SEPSIS has long championed the need for a comprehensive federal response to sepsis, and we remain fully committed to securing the passage of this landmark legislation. With bipartisan leadership and broad healthcare industry backing, we are laser-focused on moving this bill forward to protect millions of Americans from one of the leading causes of death and healthcare costs in the nation.

We Need Your Help!

Ask your Senators to support the SEPSIS Act! We’ve made it easy to send a letter directly to your Senator: Click Here

Contact us if you live in the following state: FL, KS, LA, MO, SC. We need your Senator’s support to pass the SEPSIS Act. 

Email: cstaunton@endsepsis.org

Phone: (917) 251-0739

About the Legislation:

The bill would guarantee an investment of $20 million annually that would: 

• Expand outreach and education to hospitals to encourage adoption of the CDC’s comprehensive new sepsis guidelines, Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements.
• Finalize and implement a sepsis outcome measure. A sepsis outcome measure would have significant, system-wide impacts on U.S. healthcare through:
  • Standardizing sepsis care across hospitals
  • Incentivize hospitals to improve, process that would lead to reductions in mortality and morbidity
  • Lowering healthcare costs by implementing effective early interventions 
  • Drive Data Transparency and Quality Improvement by requiring hospitals to report sepsis outcomes publicly
  • Strengthen sepsis programs nationwide by encouraging greater hospital investment in sepsis care
• Improve data collection on pediatric sepsis
• Create an incentive program for hospitals to improve sepsis outcomes
  

Key Facts on Sepsis:

• Sepsis kills more than 350,000 Americans each year — more than opioid overdoses, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined.
• It leaves countless others with life-changing disabilities, including amputations, cognitive damage, and PTSD.
• 1 in 3 hospital deaths is linked to sepsis.
• The total annual cost of sepsis care is estimated to be between $62 billion to over $80 billion per year. 
  

The full press release announcing the bill’s reintroduction can be seen here

The text of the bill can be seen here