Economic stress and misaligned incentives in critical care medicine in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
This review will provide an overview of issues with economic ramifications intrinsic to the management of intensive care resources and identify some of the external pressures that ultimately influence the provision of intensive care services.


METHODS
A review of the current literature was performed.


RESULTS
Economic stress is a reality of the management of intensive care resources. The nature of critical care medicine as a technologically heavy, labor intensive, high-cost, limited resource, combined with a projected increase in demand in an era of cost containment, presents an array of challenges.


CONCLUSIONS
It is in the best interest of the care of our patients that critical care providers increase awareness of the many factors influencing our practice economically. It is through such understanding that challenges can be met, solutions can be found, and the quality of intensive care can be improved in a financially sustainable environment.
Dorman
Todd
T
Pauldine
Ronald
R
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003422:Critical Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D006295:Health Resources / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations