Society's commitment to delivering the Right Care, Right Now extends naturally to policy and advocacy in the public health arena. Various advocacy-oriented committees and activities build upon the Society's legacy of educational and clinical excellence, helping to ensure patient safety and quality care is available to all critically ill or injured patients.
- The Advocacy Committee serves an ongoing role in keeping members abreast of new developments in the public policy and regulatory arenas. Online resources useful for identifying decision makers are provided on the Advocacy Resources page.
- The Society raises awareness of critical care professionals and quality care each May as part of National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month (NCCARM).
- The Society is the key source for ensuring critical care readiness in preparing for and responding to disasters. Information for the public is available on the Disaster Resources Web pages, and for clinicians and administrators via the Fundamentals of Disaster Management (FDM) course, part of FCCS.
- Regulations affect critical care practice management and relevant information is detailed on the Coding & Billing Web pages.
- Sign up for SmartBrief
Drug Shortages
The Society of Critical Care Medicine has recently released a white paper on the subject. "Concerns for Patient Safety Due to Ongoing Drug Shortages in the United States" focuses in particular on how current drug shortages affect the ability of clinicians to treat the life-threatening conditions of their patients in intensive care units.
The FDA has posted a link to sign up for email notifications to receive updates of drug products added to the Current Drug Shortage and Resolved Drug Shortages lists. There is a spotlight box with questions and answers on the page updated daily. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists also offers information on drug shortages on their website.
SCCM Launches SmartBrief eNewsletter
SCCM has launched a weekly eNewsletter entitled "SmartBrief". The newsletter provides timely articles and information related to the practice of critical care medicine, as well as other articles related generally to the world of medicine. Mobile device versions are available. Archives are available. To subscribe visit SmartBrief.
Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC)
Four critical care societies work together in a unique partnership to leverage collective and multiprofessional expertise through communication, education, research and advocacy efforts. To learn more about the CCSC visit the website or specific pages on the website for the following topics:
Anesthetic Use
Disaster
End of Life Initiatives
Healthcare Associated Infections
National Quality Forum Measures
Patient Consent in Quality Improvement Projects
Critical Care Research Agenda
Tele-ICU
Ventilator Associated Pneumonia
Critical Care Workforce
Stimulus Offers Incentives for Health Information Technology
President Obama's stimulus package includes a number of health information technology provisions, offering new hope for efforts that have been stalled in Congress for several years. As new funds jumpstart efforts to improve health information technology, implementation of electronic health records (EHR) will no longer be optional for physicians and hospitals. Those unprepared or unwilling to incorporate EHR into their practices by 2014 will begin to see reduction in payments. The New England Journal of Medicine published a special article assessing the use of EHR in U.S. hospitals.
