Diagnostic Accuracy in Sepsis Act of 2025

This bill would make “blood culture contamination” count as a hospital-acquired condition under Medicare. In simple terms, if a hospital lets a blood sample get contaminated during testing, Medicare will track it like other preventable hospital problems. The law also tells Health and Human Services to set a measure so that contamination rates should not exceed 1 percent, pushing hospitals to use cleaner, safer blood-draw practices.

Why this matters: contaminated blood tests can lead to wrong diagnoses and unnecessary treatments. By flagging contamination and setting a strict target, the bill aims to improve test accuracy and patient safety. The change applies to hospital discharges in fiscal year 2026 and after.

Key points

• Who is affected: Hospitals paid by Medicare, and patients receiving hospital care.
• What changes: Blood culture contamination is added to the list of tracked hospital-acquired conditions; hospitals are measured against a maximum 1% contamination rate.
• When: For discharges in fiscal year 2026 and later.