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

House Energy and Commerce Committee: Health Subcommittee Hearing on “Reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act: What It Means for Jobs, Innovation, and Patients”.

Federal Activity

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) released a new report yesterday describing the work of the Innovation Center during its first year in operation.

News and Reports

“Babies Risk Infection in Intensive Care, Group Finds,” National Journal, January 26, 2012

Despite federal government efforts to reduce them, dangerous infections are still common in pediatric intensive-care units, Consumer Reports said on Thursday.

“Health care reform: House GOP waits for Supreme Court,” Politico, January 26, 2012

House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA) said the subcommittee is putting together plans to respond to the various ways the court could rule, whether it keeps the whole law in place, strikes it all, gets rid of just the mandate or gets rid of the mandate and other large pieces of the law.

“UW Study: Advance Directives Don’t Work for High-Risk Surgery,” January 25, 2012

Advance directives that limit the use of life-supporting treatments necessary for patient survival are a poor tool for helping patients express their wishes about surgery, according to a new study led by a University of Wisconsin-Madison vascular surgeon.  To view an abstract of the study published in the Annals of Surgery, please click here.

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.