AHRQ and Indian Health Service Partner to Strengthen Sepsis Care

Three-year partnership supports improved sepsis care in American Indian and Alaska Native communities

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today announced a new partnership with the Indian Health Service (IHS) to strengthen the early identification and management of sepsis in IHS emergency care facilities. Together, the agencies will launch a quality improvement initiative designed around the needs, resources, cultural values and traditions of American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

The initiative marks an important milestone following three years of consultation with American Indians and Alaska Natives. The partnership builds on that engagement by combining AHRQ's expertise in evidence-based healthcare improvement with IHS's experience providing care in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection and can quickly become life-threatening. Early recognition and treatment are critical. IHS has identified a need to strengthen its ability to diagnose and manage sepsis across its network of facilities, many of which are in rural or remote locations where access to specialty expertise and other resources may be limited.

"Sepsis moves fast, and timely recognition and treatment can make a critical difference for patients," said AHRQ Director Roger D. Klein, M.D., J.D. "This partnership puts proven, evidence-based tools directly into the hands of clinicians on the front lines, so patients in Tribal communities get the same rapid, standards-based sepsis response as anyone else in the country."

"The opportunity to create a much-needed sepsis clinical resource that will be available IHS-wide with such a quality agency, AHRQ, will improve outcomes that our communities and patients deserve," said Kim Hartwig, M.D., IHS director of strategic initiatives.

The initiative will produce an educational toolkit for healthcare teams and assess its impact at participating facilities. Monitoring and evaluation will help identify what is working and allow the tools and approaches to be improved based on the needs of participating sites. AHRQ is supporting the three-year effort with $7.5 million in funding.

AHRQ brings extensive experience developing evidence, tools and resources that healthcare systems can use to improve patient care. The agency has supported Evidence-Based Practice Centers and learning collaboratives, developed healthcare data resources in partnership with American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and created training and quality improvement resources such as the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program. AHRQ also has expertise in developing measures and using data to monitor health system performance.

The partnership extends AHRQ's broader work with American Indians and Alaska Native Tribes and supports AHRQ and IHS efforts to turn evidence into practical improvements in care.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, produces the evidence, tools and data needed to make healthcare safer, higher-quality and more effective. Follow the agency on Facebook, X and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality