are truly changing has important
implications for both policy and
practice. Sepsis care mandates are
not without risk. The mandate
from the Joint Commission and
CMS to initiate antibiotic therapy
within 4 hours after a patient with
community-acquired pneumonia
arrives at the hospital is informative
in this regard. With
hindsight, we now know that
this requirement probably led to
overdiagnosis of pneumonia and
unwarranted antibiotic treatment
for patients with undifferentiated
respiratory symptoms.5