New Critical Care Workforce Legislation IntroducedOn February 28, 2007, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Patient-Focused Critical Care Enhancement Act - (S.718). The proposed legislation specifically addresses the critical care workforce shortage by calling for appropriations for research and projects that will take the first steps toward optimizing the delivery of critical care medicine. The American College of Chest Physicians, as part of the Critical Care Workforce Partnership, has been working closely with the two Senators to get this bill introduced. Other members of the Partnership include the American Thoracic Society, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. The Patient-Focused Critical Care Enhancement Act is based on a May 2006 report from the Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which suggests that, by 2020, the demand for optimal intensivist services will increase by 129 percent above the current supply, resulting in an imminent shortage of critical care providers and services. For more information, choose from the following links:
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