Patients receiving subpar care.

• Position: Intensive care units in shortage

Two-thirds of patients needing critical care services may be receiving suboptimal care, as the current demand for services has surpassed the supply of providers needed, according to a report released by the Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. The report projects that this problem will be exacerbated by 2020 due to the aging population and the increased utilization of intensivists (critical care specialists).

"Recognizing that our country is facing a severe critical care workforce shortage is the first step in addressing this immense burden on the nation's health care system," declares Michael Alberts, president of the American College of Chest Physicians, Arlington Heights, Ill. "The time for comprehensive policy discussions on this issue is overdue. Congress and the appropriate Federal agencies must act now to avert this crisis."

The report reinforces findings that the involvement of intensivists improves outcomes for critically ill patients and suggests there is an imminent need to increase the intensivist supply. With an estimated 360,000 deaths occurring each year in intensive care units not managed by intensivists, adding to the supply may help save as many as 54,000 lives annually.

"Research indicates that there is a direct...