Sepsis 3.0: Progress or peril?

Why This Topic Matters

Sepsis definitions influence diagnosis, documentation, sequencing, quality measurement, and reported outcomes. Understanding the differences between evolving clinical definitions and current coding/reporting guidance is important for avoiding inconsistencies across care teams and data systems.

Article Sections

1. The new sepsis criteria

   Summarizes the Sepsis-3 framework for sepsis and septic shock and introduces the related bedside screening and organ dysfunction concepts. Also discusses how the new definitions differ from prior sepsis approaches.

2. Coding and documentation implications

   Covers the implications of the new definitions for documentation, coding, quality reporting, and alignment with U.S. coding and reporting guidance. Also addresses the relationship to sepsis management initiatives and national quality programs.