This bill mandates that all general and special hospitals in New Jersey establish and implement evidence-based protocols for the early recognition and treatment of patients suffering from sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock. The protocols must be based on accepted standards of care and include specific components for both adult and pediatric patients, detailing the differences in treatment approaches. Hospitals are required to develop processes for screening and identifying patients, documenting those who should be excluded from treatment, and providing specific treatment guidelines. Additionally, hospitals must ensure that all relevant staff receive periodic training on these protocols and submit their proposed protocols to the Department of Health for review within 120 days of the bill's enactment.

Furthermore, hospitals are responsible for collecting quality measures related to sepsis treatment to facilitate internal quality improvement and must report this data to the Department of Health annually. This data will assist in developing risk-adjusted mortality rates for sepsis cases. Hospitals are also subject to audits by the department as needed. The Commissioner of Health is tasked with promulgating necessary rules and regulations to implement the act, which will take effect four months after enactment, although anticipatory actions may be taken beforehand.