Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: In-Depth Summary of the Episode Featuring Dr. Christopher Thomas

Release Date: July 19, 2025

Introduction

In this insightful episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Alan Condon sits down with Dr. Christopher Thomas, the Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this nonprofit health system encompasses ten hospitals dedicated to enhancing U.S. healthcare. The conversation delves into Dr. Thomas’s pivotal role in reducing sepsis mortality by 39%, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations that led to this remarkable achievement.

Dr. Christopher Thomas: Background and Role

Dr. Thomas begins by sharing his professional journey:

“I am a pulmonary and critical care physician by training. Moved into that area because I was concerned and wanted to kind of investigate critical illness, and that's how I ended up in sepsis.”
[00:32]

His transition from a clinical role to a leadership position in quality and patient safety underscores his commitment to improving patient outcomes on a systemic level. Over the past three to four years, Dr. Thomas has focused on bridging the gap between research and the practical application of evidence-based medicine, aiming to ensure that every patient within the health system benefits from the latest medical advancements.

Identifying Sepsis as a Critical Focus

The conversation shifts to the strategic decision to tackle sepsis:

“When we look at the major reasons patients come into hospitals and when they leave hospitals, they don't return to the same level of function to their families. The disease that we become the most concerned with, is sepsis.”
[02:13]

Dr. Thomas emphasizes the profound impact of sepsis on patient recovery and community health. The choice to focus on sepsis was driven by both clinical data and personal motivation, as Dr. Thomas recounts a family experience with the disease:

“I actually experienced this with my father. And so it's always been a personal evaluation of, hey, he had a routine procedure, he got an infection, and then he became critically ill.”
[04:24]

This personal connection fueled his dedication to ensuring consistent and effective sepsis management across the health system.

Enhancing Sepsis Identification and Triage

A critical challenge in sepsis management is distinguishing between patients who will develop severe sepsis and those who can recover without extensive intervention. Dr. Thomas outlines the initial hurdles:

“We just were forced to assume that everyone who had an infection was at risk to develop an abnormal response and get markedly sicker. And so we by definition over treated all the patients.”
[04:48]

To address this, the health system integrated a novel diagnostic tool from Cytovale called Intellisep. This innovation allowed for more precise identification of high-risk patients, enabling tailored treatments rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Addressing Gaps in Sepsis Triage and Management

Dr. Thomas identifies key gaps in their initial approach:

“We didn't use our talent well, to be honest... we weren't using them and giving them tools in a way that could be repeatable.”
[07:24]

The health system realized that their nurse triage teams possessed the expertise to identify infections but lacked the standardized tools to do so consistently. By implementing the Intellisep test and developing a structured triage pathway, they could accurately assess which patients required intensive treatment and which could safely return home.

Rallying the Team: People, Process, and Pivot

A cornerstone of their success was the People, Process, and Pivot approach. Dr. Thomas describes how engaging the team was essential:

“We took the talent of the people, that's the, er, the phlebotomist, the pharmacist, our performance improvement team, we put them in a room every week and we looked at every single result over an entire year and continued to iteratively improve the process.”
[09:34]

By fostering a collaborative environment where team members could contribute their insights and continuously refine procedures, the health system created a robust framework for sepsis management. This iterative process led to significant improvements, including:

• 39% Reduction in Sepsis Mortality
• 0.76 Reduction in Length of Stay

Implementing Innovative Diagnostic Tools

The integration of Intellisep was pivotal in transforming sepsis care:

“The intellisept test for us became super helpful. It allowed us to change to look at the patients and say, you are very sick and we're going to come give you as much treatment early as possible. And then it allowed us to look at the patients where it was very clear over 97 to 98% of the time they were not going to progress to this threatening thing that we call sepsis.”
[07:24]

This precision in diagnosis enabled the health system to allocate resources effectively, ensuring that high-risk patients received timely and appropriate interventions while avoiding the pitfalls of over-treatment.

Driving Further Improvements: Next Steps

Building on their success, Dr. Thomas outlines the health system’s future initiatives:

“We’re now looking at how our antibiotic use and which antibiotics that we're using. How can we optimize that, meaning if you don't need a very broad antibiotic, let's not get it to you. Let's be very specific and tailored.”
[12:25]

Additional focus areas include:

• Rescuing Patients: Enhancing protocols to identify and intervene with patients who may deteriorate within 24 to 36 hours.
• Structured Mobility Programs: Ensuring sepsis patients regain strength and function.
• Holistic Care Post-Discharge: Providing comprehensive follow-up to prevent readmission and support long-term recovery.

Advice for Clinical Leaders

In concluding the discussion, Dr. Thomas offers valuable advice for healthcare leaders aiming to replicate this success:

“Use [your] teams, listen to their feedback, go to where they do their work and get their ideas. After you get their opinion, be willing to do things that are innovative that others would say has not been done before.”
[16:32]

Key takeaways include:

1. Empower and Listen to Teams: Harness the collective expertise of your staff by actively seeking and implementing their insights.
2. Embrace Innovation: Don’t hesitate to adopt novel diagnostic tools and processes that can drive substantial improvements.
3. Continuous Improvement: Maintain an iterative approach to refining protocols, ensuring that care evolves with emerging best practices and technologies.

Conclusion

Dr. Christopher Thomas’s leadership at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System exemplifies how dedication, innovation, and collaborative teamwork can lead to significant advancements in patient care. By focusing on sepsis management, implementing cutting-edge diagnostics, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Dr. Thomas and his team achieved a 39% reduction in sepsis mortality, setting a benchmark for healthcare systems nationwide.

This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for healthcare professionals seeking to enhance quality and outcomes within their organizations, highlighting the profound impact of strategic focus and empowered teams in transforming patient care.

Notable Quotes:

• Dr. Christopher Thomas: “We were really interested in that. The majority of people who show up to the ER have an infection, and if they have an infection in that group, who is going to be those who get really sick and who are going to be those that we can say I think you're okay for right now and you can go home.”
  [02:13]

• Dr. Thomas: “The intellisept test for us became super helpful. It allowed us to change to look at the patients and say, you are very sick and we're going to come give you as much treatment early as possible.”
  [07:24]

• Dr. Thomas: “Use your teams, listen to their feedback, go to where they do their work and get their ideas.”
  [16:32]

This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the episode, providing a thorough overview for those who haven't listened while highlighting the transformative work of Dr. Christopher Thomas and his team.