Revolutionary technology saves one life every three days
During Sepsis Awareness Month, FMOL Health celebrates achievements in innovation
JANS – One life is saved every three days, and nearly 30,000 dinner table conversations have been made possible over the last three years at FMOL Health following implementation of the IntelliSep early detection sepsis technology and a game-changing new approach to sepsis care.
“The outcomes we are seeing as a result of implementing the IntelliSep test are nothing short of revolutionary,” said Dr. Christopher Thomas, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at FMOL Health. “We’re transforming sepsis care, as healthcare knows it.”
Nearly 1,000 patients waiting in emergency rooms across FMOL Health facilities were moved to immediate treatment for sepsis after IntelliSep results proved them to be at high risk, improving safe patient throughput.
Over the last three years, FMOL Health has treated tens of thousands of patients across Louisiana and Mississippi who were considered at risk for sepsis upon evaluation in the emergency room and achieved the following results:
A 24% reduction in mortality among patients with sepsis
A 19% reduction in mortality among patients without sepsis
An 18% decrease in blood culture utilization
Nearly one full day shorter hospital stay for high-risk patients
A 14% decrease in antibiotic utilization
A 12% increase in safe discharges from the emergency department
Implementing IntelliSep has also saved roughly 30,000 hospital days across the FMOL Health system, an efficiency gain equivalent to standing up an additional 85-bed hospital, Thomas said. A swift decision on sepsis cuts down on unnecessary prescriptions and frees physicians to explore other diagnostic possibilities. And, FMOL Health returned nearly $25 million to the healthcare system through a reduction in days spent in the hospital.
Thomas, together with Dr. Hollis “Bud” O’Neal, FMOL Health Medical Director of Research, has been a leader in the research and development of the IntelliSep sepsis detection tool since its inception more than a dozen years ago. Since then, the FMOL Health system has become a learning laboratory, attaining international firsts and recognition for achievements in innovation.
IntelliSep, developed by Cytovale in close collaboration with FMOL Health and Louisiana State University (LSU), is a transformative, yet simple and easy-to-use, new technology that can detect sepsis in under 10 minutes.
Implementation at FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge in April 2023 led to a system realignment: new workflows, new metrics and a new approach to testing and monitoring, including testing upon admission to the emergency room. FMOL Health also recently launched studies to begin implementation throughout inpatient care.
More than 80 peer-reviewed studies have been published on this rapidly advancing solution. Cytovale reports more than 600 providers now use IntelliSep routinely in health systems across the country, with an IntelliSep test ordered every six minutes.
“Through systemwide implementation of the IntelliSep tool, FMOL Health is drastically reducing sepsis mortality, improving antibiotic stewardship and increasing opportunity for physicians to focus on diagnosis during that critical first hour following testing,” said Cytovale Chief Executive Officer Ajay Shah. “All this, alongside significantly reduced patient stays, operational efficiencies and tremendous cost savings.”
