Potentially ineffective care: time for earnest reexamination.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Critical Care Medicine
• Health Policy

Background:

• American healthcare faces escalating costs and variable quality, impacting all sectors, including intensive care units (ICUs).
• Outcomes and expenditures in critical care significantly influence health policy and administrative decisions due to their substantial impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the need for systematic measurement of potentially ineffective care in ICUs.
• To evaluate the opportunity presented by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) for reshaping critical care.
• To advocate for reconsidering the measurement of potentially ineffective care's clinical, economic, and societal effects.

Main Methods:

• This study proposes a framework for measuring potentially ineffective care.
• It reviews the implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on critical care delivery.
• The approach emphasizes a systematic and formal measurement process.

Main Results:

• Potentially ineffective care in ICUs contributes to suboptimal quality and rising costs.
• The PPACA provides a legislative impetus for reform in critical care.
• Formal measurement can identify areas for improvement in critical care delivery.

Conclusions:

• Systematic measurement of potentially ineffective care is essential for improving critical care.
• The PPACA offers a unique opportunity to implement and evaluate changes in critical care.
• Reconsidering the impact of potentially ineffective care is vital for clinical, economic, and societal well-being.