Case Study: Fort HealthCare cuts sepsis mortality nearly in half and shortens patient stays with Cerner's St. John Sepsis agent

Fort HealthCare improves sepsis identification, reduces mortality, shortens stay for patients

Fort HealthCare, a Cerner ITWorks® client in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, faced a pressing clinical challenge: sepsis was difficult to detect in real time and carried a high mortality rate (9.1%), especially among elderly or dementia patients. Clinicians needed faster, actionable data to diagnose and treat sepsis within the critical first six hours.

By implementing the St. John Sepsis agent, Fort HealthCare began receiving earlier alerts—including warnings before septic shock—allowing quicker diagnosis and treatment. The hospital cut its sepsis mortality rate from 9.1% to 4.6%, increased average monthly sepsis identification by 27% (from 15 to 19 cases), and reduced length of stay by 8% (4.06 to 3.75 days), while gaining timely, real‑time data to guide ongoing care improvements.

Fort Healthcare

Connie Philpot

Quality Analyst