SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1151

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  NOVEMBER 13, 2025

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 1151.

      This bill requires general and special hospitals licensed in the State to establish protocols for the early recognition and treatment of patients with sepsis.

     Sepsis is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body’s overwhelming immune response to infection. Sometimes known as “blood poisoning,” sepsis results when the immune chemicals released into the bloodstream cause widespread inflammation, leading to blood clots, impaired blood flow, and oxygen and nutrient deprivation in the organs.  Sepsis can result in permanent organ damage, cognitive impairment, physical disability, or death. 

     The protocols required under the bill would incorporate distinct components for adult and pediatric patients, and would include processes for screening, early recognition, and treatment of sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock, including specific treatment guidelines for various circumstances and procedures for screening out patients for whom treatment would be inappropriate.  Hospitals will be required to ensure that appropriate staff members are periodically trained to implement the sepsis protocols.

     Hospitals will be required to submit proposed sepsis protocols to the Department of Health for review no later than 120 days after the effective date of the bill and implement the protocols upon receipt of department approval.  Hospitals will be permitted to revise and update the protocols based on newly emerging evidence-based standards, and resubmit the protocols to the department for review no more than once every two years, unless the department identifies hospital-specific performance concerns.

     Hospitals will be responsible for collecting and using quality measures related to the recognition and treatment of sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock for the purpose of internal quality improvement and evaluating the implementation and adherence to the protocols. 

     Hospitals will be required to submit to the department such data as may be necessary for the department to develop risk-adjusted sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock mortality rates, along with any other data the department may require.  Hospitals will be subject to audit at the department’s discretion.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2024-2025 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.