About the Roundtable

The Roundtable on Critical Care Policy is a non-profit organization that provides a forum for the nation’s leaders in critical care and public health to advance a common federal policy agenda to improve the quality, delivery and efficiency of critical care in the United States. The Roundtable brings together a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including renowned critical care clinicians, patient groups, academia, public health advocacy interests and industry.

Critical care medicine is primary care for the critically ill patient, whose illnesses or injuries present a significant danger to life, limb, or organ function. Five million Americans will be admitted into intensive care units each year, with the total costs of critical care services in the U.S. exceeding $80 billion annually. The professionals who provide critical care range from physicians and nurses, to respiratory therapists and pharmacists whose specialized training prepares them to care for such severe illnesses and injuries.

Health Affairs Features Roundtable Chairman Dr. Jeffrey E. Grossman's Blog

"A Challenge to Congress: A Critical Care Blueprint"

While Congress’ recent efforts to repeal the healthcare reform legislation signed by President Obama last year may have been ‘dead on arrival,’ efforts to dismantle the bill continue, and likely will for months to come. Rather than simply repeat the same battles again and again, legislators on both sides of the aisle might also take the opportunity to consider what was missed when the law was enacted. Read more.

Capitol Hill Events and Updates

Federal Activity

As we mentioned on Monday, President Obama sent his $3.8 trillion fiscal year 2013 budget proposal to Congress. This year’s Budget projects a $1.33 trillion deficit for 2012, representing 8.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which would shrink to a $704 billion deficit in 2022, or 2.8 percent of GDP.

News and Reports

“Experts Question Medicare's Effort To Rate Hospitals' Patient Safety Records,” Kaiser Health News, February 13, 2012

Medicare's first public effort to identify hospitals with patient safety problems has pinpointed many prestigious teaching institutions around the nation, raising concerns about quality at these places but also bolstering objections that the government's measurements are skewed.

“Poll Finds Wide Gap Between the Care Patients Want and Receive at End of Life,” California HealthCare Foundation, February 14, 2012

A new survey from the California HealthCare Foundation finds that about 80 percent of Californians would want to speak with their doctor about end-of-life care if seriously ill, but fewer than 1 in 10 said they've already had such a conversation.

View the full news alert here.

Roundtable Submits Statement for HELP Committee Hearing on Drug Shortages with List of ICU Drugs in Shortage

December 15, 2011 -- The Roundtable submitted a statement for the record for a December 15^th Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing entitled “Prescription Drug Shortages: Examining a Public Health Concern and Potential Solutions.” The Roundtable’s Outcomes & Innovation Working Group conducted an analysis of the Food and Drug Administration’s current drug shortage list, determining that ICUs currently face shortages of at least 30 generic drugs that are commonly used to care for critically ill and injured patients. As detailed in the statement submitted by the Roundtable’s Executive Director, “The lives of ICU patients depend on having access to an array of critical care medications --drugs to regulate a patient’s breathing, maintain a heart beat or prevent life-threatening infections, to name a few. Drug shortages of any of these vital medications may jeopardize health outcomes and threaten patient safety, and while we recognize the importance of access to all drugs for all patients, particularly those with terminal conditions, we wish to remind the Committee that shortages of some critical care drugs, such as those typically used to treat cardiac or respiratory arrest, may carry immediate life and death consequences.” You can view the full statement here.

Senate Moves Closer to Bipartisan Passage of Bill Prioritizing Critical Care Medicine

December 14, 2011 -- The Roundtable on Critical Care Policy today praised Senate leaders of pandemic preparedness reauthorizing legislation for including critical care as an essential component of national preparedness. “This morning, the Senate brought us another step closer to enacting the first piece of legislation that would prioritize critical care in federal disasters efforts,” said Roundtable Board Member Dr. Brad Poss.  Read more.