Cost effectiveness in the intensive care unit

Cost effectiveness has become a driving force behind the rapidly evolving US health care delivery system. High-quality, cost-effective critical care must be based on education and behavioral modification of the public within the medical community, interactive and creative unit administration directed by a full-time intensivist, data-driven assessment, the use of continuous quality improvement protocols and critical care pathways, technology use based on cost-benefit analysis, and defined admission and discharge criteria.