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Critical Care Bill

The Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act of 2011 (H.R. 971)

On March 9th, Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Erik Paulsen (R-MN) introduced bipartisan legislation to identify gaps and improve coordination in the delivery of critical care health services in the United States. The Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act of 2011 transcends the current political climate on Capitol Hill and stands out among few legislative initiatives in the 112th Congress to address health care in a bipartisan fashion. The Roundtable on Critical Care Policy applauds the commitment of Representatives Baldwin and Paulsen to strengthening the nation's critical care infrastructure.

    "Despite the significant role critical care medicine plays in providing high quality health care and its impact on health care costs, it is often not understood as a distinct specialty posing intense challenges in the health care system. If we are to reduce costs and improve the quality of medical care, it's important to assess the unique demands of critical care."
    - Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin
    "Taxpayers, hardworking medical professionals and emergency responders alike all deserve a robust analysis of what's working and what's not so that we can move forward and fix this vital, yet costly, element of our health care delivery."
    -Congressman Erik Paulsen

House Bipartisan Proposal Calls for Needed Evaluation of U.S. Critical Care Delivery System
Bill Advances a Comprehensive Federal Critical Care Agenda to Address Needs of Nation's Critically Ill and Injured

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This morning, Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Erik Paulsen (R-MN) introduced bipartisan legislation to identify gaps and improve coordination in the delivery of critical care health services in the United States. The Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act of 2011 transcends the current political climate on Capitol Hill and stands out among few legislative initiatives in the 112th Congress to address health care in a bipartisan fashion.

The annual costs of critical care services in the U.S. exceed $80 billion. Each year, five million Americans are admitted into intensive care units (ICUs), and critical care medicine consumes more than 13 percent of all hospital costs. The Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act of 2011 is designed to determine inefficiencies in the current system and bolster capabilities to meet future demands, including improving federal disaster preparedness efforts to care for the critically ill or injured.

"Identifying and addressing our nation's critical care needs is essential for the vast majority of Americans who will experience a critical care injury or illness in their lifetime, either directly or through a loved one," said Congresswoman Baldwin. "If the United States is to lead in innovation, we must understand where our strengths, capabilities, and weaknesses lie. This legislation takes important steps necessary for us to meet our present and future demands for the critically ill or injured," Baldwin said.

"Americans cannot afford to continue shouldering the costs of an inefficient health care system. This bill seeks to remedy these inefficiencies by calling for a serious inventory of our critical care infrastructure," said Rep. Paulsen. "Taxpayers, hardworking medical professionals and emergency responders alike all deserve a robust analysis of what's working and what's not so that we can move forward and fix this vital, yet costly, element of our health care delivery."

Among its provisions, the bill calls for the establishment of a coordinating council at the National Institutes of Health to identify gaps in critical care research and strengthen partnerships to expand cross-cutting research; authorizes the development of best practices for ICU evacuations in case of an emergency; and provides an assessment of the state of the critical care workforce.

Dr. Brad Poss, a member of the Roundtable Board and of the leadership at the American Academy of Pediatrics, praised the bill for "beginning a much-needed policy dialogue to address troubling shortages in the critical care workforce." Poss, a pediatric critical care intensivist at the University of Utah, noted that there are only about 1,500 U.S. pediatric critical care physicians in existence today to treat the nearly half million infants, children and youth who are in intensive care facilities every year.

"This legislation is a major step forward in advancing a comprehensive federal critical care agenda in Congress," said Dr. Jeffrey Grossman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation, and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Grossman, who chairs the Board of the Roundtable, added, "the bill will provide a roadmap for aligning our current resources with our policy goals-so that we can better serve our patients and our communities. " The Roundtable on Critical Care Policy applauds the commitment of Representatives Baldwin and Paulsen to strengthening the nation's critical care infrastructure.

The Roundtable on Critical Care Policy is a nonprofit advocacy organization that provides a collaborative forum for 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 Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act of 2010 (H.R. 6306)

The Roundtable on Critical Care Policy enthusiastically supports the introduction of the Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act of 2010. We applaud your leadership and continued commitment in Congress to all issues related to improving the care of the critically ill or injured. The Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act represents a major step in recognizing the importance of strengthening the critical care infrastructure and improving the quality and delivery of critical care in the United States.

"Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is a leader in the effort to reopen the national health care debate in the arena of critical care - emergency or life-sustaining care provided in emergency rooms or intensive care units. The effort is led by a national panel of specialists and advocates, the Roundtable on U.S. Critical Care Policy."- Milwaukee News Buzz, October 6, 2010

Legislation Introduced to Bolster U.S. Critical Care System
Ensures Most Pressing Medical Needs in Nation's Critical Care System Are Met

WASHINGTON, D.C., (September 30) - Late yesterday, House Energy and Commerce Committee Member Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced legislation to assess and strengthen the delivery and coordination of critical care health services in the United States. The Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act of 2010 (H.R. 6306) calls for a much-needed evaluation of the current state of the U.S. critical care medical delivery system and the implementation of policies to improve the quality and effectiveness of care delivered to the critically ill and injured.

"With the aging of the baby boomer generation and in the wake of recent health threats such as the H1N1 virus, it's essential that we take inventory of our critical care infrastructure and address any gaps that may hinder our current and future ability to care for the critically ill or injured," said Congresswoman Baldwin. "America needs a robust critical care infrastructure and now is the time to ensure that we have one," Baldwin said.

Critical care medicine is the care for patients whose illnesses or injuries present a significant danger to life, limb, or organ function and which require comprehensive care and constant monitoring, usually in intensive care units (ICUs). Each year, five million Americans are admitted into traditional, surgical, pediatric or neonatal ICUs, and nearly 80 percent of all Americans will experience a critical care injury or illness as a patient, family member or friend of a patient. Critical care medicine consumes a significant proportion of our health care expenditures, accounting for more than 13 percent of all hospital costs.

Despite the significant role critical care medicine plays in providing high-quality health care and its impact on health care costs, critical care is often not understood as unique and distinct within the continuum of health care delivery. Recent health care initiatives have not focused on the critical care delivery system as a priority, in spite of the nation's increasing challenges to effectively and efficiently care for the growing elderly population-a major consumer of critical care services-and those injured or ill as a result of a natural disaster or pandemic.

"The introduction of this bill represents a major step in recognizing the importance of quality critical care medicine, and is a significant development for patients, families and health care professionals," said critical care pulmonologist Dr. Jeffrey Grossman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Grossman, who currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Roundtable on Critical Care Policy, added: "The Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act will advance a much-needed, comprehensive federal critical care agenda in Congress."

The bill is designed to identify gaps in the current critical care delivery model and bolster capabilities to meet future demands, including improving federal disaster preparedness efforts to care for the critically ill or injured. Specifically, the bill will:

  • Establish a Critical Care Coordinating Council within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to coordinate the collection and analysis of information on current critical care research, identify gaps in such research, and strengthen partnerships;
  • Authorize the development of best practices for ICU evacuations during national emergencies or disasters;
  • Establish a panel on emergency preparedness databases to assess existing networks and recommend ways to improve resource awareness;
  • Report on the availability of critical care practitioners within the federal government's medical response teams and develop methods to address any shortages; and
  • Authorize studies to assess the current state of the critical care delivery system, including its current capacity, capabilities and economic impact on the U.S. health care system.

The Roundtable on Critical Care Policy-whose 2009 and 2010 National Summits on Critical Care Policy delegates defined many of the challenges facing the critical care community now addressed in this bill-applauds Congresswoman Baldwin's commitment to strengthening the nation's critical care infrastructure.

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