Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1545410
15 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT 25 hospitals with the highest SEP-1 scores: CMS By Mackenzie Bean Twenty-five hospitals achieved SEP-1 scores of 95 or above in the 12-month period ending in June 2025, according to new CMS data. e agency's Timely and Effective Care dataset updated May 13 assesses hospitals' performance on dozens of quality measures, including SEP- 1. e measure reflects hospitals' compliance with the agency's severe sepsis and septic shock management bundle. It does not measure whether patients survived or recovered. In recent years, research has raised questions about the measure's predictive value. A 2025 study in JAMA Network Open found that once patient complexity was accounted for, SEP-1 compliance was not associated with reduced mortality. Noncompliant patients were more likely to be older, have higher comorbidity burdens, present without fever and require bedside procedures, suggesting that a hospital's score can reflect its patient population as much as the quality of its care. e list spans community hospitals, regional medical centers and safety-net facilities across 15 states and Puerto Rico. Patient sample sizes vary considerably, from fewer than 20 cases to more than 300, which could affect how reliably a high score reflects sustained operational performance. Scores for hospitals with fewer than 25 cases should be read with caution, as a single case can meaningfully shi a small- volume hospital's percentage. CMS transitioned SEP-1 from a pay-for-reporting to a pay-for- performance measure under its Hospital Value-Based Purchasing program in 2024, meaning hospitals' Medicare reimbursements are now adjusted based on compliance scores. n Hospital Score Patient Sample Northridge (Calif.) Hospital Medical Center 99 139 Larkin Community Hospital (South Miami, Fla.) 99 109 Cullman (Ala.) Regional Medical Center 98 121 ree Rivers Medical Center (Louisa, Ky.) 98 113 Mesa View Regional Hospital (Mesquite, Nev.) 98 105 Hudson Regional Hospital (Secaucus, N.J.) 98 86 Big Bend Regional Medical Center (Alpine, Texas) 98 40 Larkin Community Hospital Palm Springs Campus (Hialeah, Fla.) 97 98 Fairfield Memorial Hospital (Fairfield, Ill.) 97 34 Pulaski Memorial Hospital (Winamac, Ind.) 97 32 Chickasaw Nation Medical Center (Ada, Okla.) 97 78 Manati Medical Center Dr. Otero Lopez (Manati, P.R.) 97 105 Aspirus Stanley (Wis.) Hospital 97 35 Adventist Health Reedley (Calif.) 96 23 Tahoe Forest Hospital (Truckee, Calif.) 96 55 Memorial Community Hospital & Health System (Blair, Neb.) 96 24 Highland District Hospital (Hillsboro, Ohio) 96 27 San Gabriel (Calif.) Valley Medical Center 95 107 Grand River Hospital District (Rifle, Colo.) 95 21 Colquitt Regional Medical Center (Moultrie, Ga.) 95 366 St. James Parish Hospital (Lutcher, La.) 95 19 Cass Regional Medical Center (Harrisonville, Mo.) 95 19 St. Luke's Warren Hospital (Phillipsburg, N.J.) 95 167 St. Francis Hospital – e Heart Center (Roslyn, N.Y.) 95 182 Graham (Texas) Regional Medical Center 95 19