Introduction
Although sepsis mortality has declined over the last three decades, sepsis’s human costs and financial burdens are increasing. Two peer-reviewed articles are discussed below to analyze the existing literature on the costs associated with sepsis. Despite minor methodological limitations, these articles present significant findings that can benefit my capstone topic as they provide information on the costs associated with sepsis.
Review of Buchman et al. (2020) Article
The first article, Sepsis Among Medicare Beneficiaries: The Burdens of Sepsis, 2012–2018, (Buchman et al., 2020), shows an analysis of the burdens of sepsis for Medicare beneficiaries during 2012-2018. They used data from Medicare claims and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service Hierarchical Condition Codes (Buchman et al., 2020). Using a linear regression model, the authors estimated yearly and monthly costs (Buchman et al., 2020). Thus, methodological concerns are limited.
In terms of findings, the authors present groundbreaking revelations related to sepsis costs. They found that sepsis costs have continued to rise by 5% annually during 2012-2018 (Buchman et al., 2020). Authors noted seasonal variation in costs as they increased during the winter months due to excess respiratory infections and seasonal influenza (Buchman et al., 2020). Although, on average, one in five beneficiaries did not have insurance coverage plans, beneficiaries with sepsis had a financial advantage since Medicare has covered approximately 95% of total care payment for the admission that included the sepsis code (Buchman et al., 2020). Thus, sepsis patients with Medicare beneficiaries generally benefited from the program.
The main strength of the article is the comprehensive quantitative data. The research covers a substantial period, from 2012-2018, and provides a detailed assessment of the morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with sepsis for 100% of Medicare beneficiaries (Buchman et al., 2020). Thus, I can apply these findings to my problem of interest by analyzing the relationship between Medicare or any other insurance plan and lower sepsis mortality fees. Moreover, the geographical framework of the article, the United States, is relevant to the problem of interest and population in my future research.
As the authors themselves emphasize, there is a labeling uncertainty derived from the different definitions and understanding of sepsis in terms of limitations (Buchman et al., 2020). Hence, other types and purposes of sepsis might yield different results. Secondly, since data covers only Medicare beneficiaries, it cannot represent the national costs associated with sepsis. Thirdly, these costs do not consider fees related to diagnosis, post-treatment care, and other supplementary costs.
Review of Thursky et al. (2018) Article
The second article, Implementation of a whole of hospital sepsis clinical pathway in a cancer hospital: impact on sepsis management, outcomes, and costs, by Thursky et al. (2018), analyzes the effect of implementing clinical sepsis pathway (SP) on patient outcomes and healthcare utilization. The authors undertook a process mapping of recognition and management of sepsis practices across clinical areas (Thursky et al., 2018). They found that implementing a clinical pathway for sepsis management improved patient outcomes and decreased hospitalization costs (Thursky et al., 2018). Thus, the article primarily proves the positive effect of SP on sepsis management costs.
The article has several strengths: first, it covers both direct and indirect costs related to sepsis management. Second, it examines the costs of sepsis in both medical and surgical patients with cancer (Thursky et al., 2018). Third, the costing data they used was based on the hospital costs than hospital charges, providing a “true reflection” of the healthcare resources utilized (Thrusky et al., 2018, 11). One significant limitation is that the authors researched in 2011-2016, which might not be relevant to the current context due to the five-year gap. Nevertheless, the article provides crucial insight that implementing hospital-wide SP can decrease costs without compromising healthcare outcomes.
Conclusion
Despite methodological limitations, these articles present significant findings in terms of costs associated with sepsis management. Although they do not emphasize the lower sepsis mortality fees, the basic information they derive can guide my future research. Specifically, the methodology they used and the results lay the groundwork for the analysis on lower sepsis mortality fees.
References
Buchman, T. G., Simpson, S. Q., Sciarretta, K. L., Finne, K. P., Sowers, N., Collier, M., Chavan, S., Oke, I., Pennini, M. E., Santhosh, A., Wax, M., Woodbury, R., Chu, S., Merkeley, T. G., Disbrow, G. L., Bright, R. A., MaCurdy, T. E., & Kelman, J. A. (2020). Sepsis among medicare beneficiaries. Critical Care Medicine, 48(3), 276–288. Web.
Thursky, K., Lingaratnam, S., Jayarajan, J., Haeusler, G. M., Teh, B., Tew, M., Venn, G., Hiong, A., Brown, C., Leung, V., Worth, L. J., Dalziel, K., & Slavin, M. A. (2018). Implementation of a whole of hospital sepsis clinical pathway in a cancer hospital: Impact on sepsis management, outcomes, and costs. BMJ Open Quality, 7(3), 1-13. Web.