Riverside Community Hospital (RCH) announced today it is the first acute-care hospital in the region to adopt the T2Candida® Panel, a sepsis diagnostic developed by T2Biosystems that detects Candida, the most lethal cause of sepsis, and does not require a blood culture. This technology is proven to provide species-specific results in three-to-five hours compared to two-to-six days for a blood culture, reducing a positive sepsis patient's length of stay in the hospital by almost nine days. Early detection has also been shown to prevent 60 percent of Candida-related deaths annually at an average-sized hospital[1].
“We are proud to be the first and only acute care hospital in the Inland Empire to invest in this state-of-the-art technology to diagnose sepsis, a very urgent public health issue,” said Patrick Brilliant, president and chief executive officer of Riverside Community Hospital. “We are hopeful that with this technology in our facility, we will see an important change in our ability to diagnose and treat sepsis patients sooner and with the proper medications, ultimately saving lives.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)2, there are more than one million cases of sepsis each year in the U.S. resulting in more than 258,000 deaths. In California, sepsis is responsible for 55.9 percent of infection-related deaths, according to a study published in the International Journal of Health Geographics3. At RCH alone, the average cost per sepsis patient case is $19,2454 and there is a 15 percent mortality rate5 from severe sepsis. This technology is proven to provide hospitals an annual cost savings of approximately $5.8 million and a rapid negative result can prevent unnecessary administration of antimicrobials1.
“Riverside Community Hospital is recognized as a leading acute care hospital in the Inland Empire, and we are pleased that they are an adopter of T2Candida,” said John McDonough, chief executive officer of T2 Biosystems. “T2Candida has the potential to provide clinicians a rapid, accurate sepsis diagnosis, allowing for both improved patient outcomes and financial savings for healthcare centers.”
About Riverside Community Hospital
Founded in 1901, Riverside Community Hospital is a 373 licensed bed, full-service acute care hospital in the heart of the Inland Empire. RCH has been recognized as a Top Performing Hospital and has invested in a new campus expansion project that includes a new 7-story patient tower, 3-story medical office building, and a recently completed new 5-level, state-of-the-art parking garage. With over 500 physicians on staff, representing over 200 specialties and over 1,900 employees, Riverside Community Hospital is an Inland Empire leader in providing advanced, comprehensive health care to the Inland region. RCH houses one of the largest Emergency Room and Trauma Center in the Inland Empire at 50. RCH is the largest STEMI (heart attack) receiving centers and is a fully accredited Chest Pain Center. Centers of Excellence include the HeartCare Institute, offering invasive and non-invasive cardiac procedures, Center of Excellence for Surgical Weight Loss, the Transplant Program, the Cancer Center and a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
[1] Bilir, S. P., Ferrufino, C. P., Pfaller, M. A., & Munakata, J. (2015). The economic impact of rapid Candida species identification by T2Candida among high-risk patients. Future microbiology, (10) 7,1133-1144.
2 Inpatient care for septicemia or sepsis: a challenge for patients and hospitals No. 62. June 2011. National Center for Health Statistics.
3 Wang, H.E., Devereaux, R.S., Yealy, D.M., Safford, M.M., Howard, G. (2009). National variation in United States sepsis mortality: a descriptive study. International journal of health geographics, (9), 1-9.
4 Riverside Hospital Data on File
5 Riverside Hospital Data on File