JOINT POSITION STATEMENT - ESSENTIAL PROVISIONS FOR CRITICAL CARE IN HEALTH SYSTEM REFORM

Objective: Production of a statement defining the essential provisions of health system reform as determined by the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). This document is the only nurse-physician joint statement to r esult from the 1994 health system reform debate. Data Sources: A joint SCCM-AACN working group developed the document. Working group members referenced position papers previously developed by SCCM and AACN. Dat a Synthesis: Working group members refined drafts of the statement unt il a consensus was reached. Final versions of the paper were reviewed and endorsed by the SCCM Council and the AACN Board of Directors. Conc lusions: SCCM and AACN agreed that health system reform should ultimat ely achieve universal coverage, access, control cost, and should impro ve the quality of care. SCCM and AACN endorsed improved access to and coverage for preventive care services. Recognizing that critical illne ss and injury cannot be prevented entirely, SCCM and AACN agreed that a reformed system must foster improved care of the critically ill and injured as described below.