In early September, ACEP signed a letter to the National Quality Forum calling for the Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock: Early Management Bundle (SEP-1) not to be re-endorsed unless it is revised. ACEP is joined in this statement by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, American Hospital Association, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, Society of Hospital Medicine, and Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists.

• The comment letter suggests revisions that would accomplish the following goals:
• Focus the bundle on the subset of patients most likely to benefit from rapid and aggressive interventions, ie, those with septic shock, not those without shock.
• Minimize antibiotic overuse and adverse effects by eliminating patients with sepsis but without shock from the bundle and redefining the goals for time to antibiotic delivery.
• Eliminate bundle elements that do not contribute to improved patient outcomes, such as measuring serial lactate levels.
• Streamline the reporting process to focus on clinical outcomes.
• Make reporting electronic with data that are easily extractable from the electronic health record.
• Get input and support for intended changes from all the professional organizations most affected by the measure.

View the full letter that goes into greater detail about these goals.