Does ICU Remote Monitoring Save Lives, Money?
The New York Times: Debating The Effectiveness Of Remotely Monitoring Intensive Care PatientsHigh in a Manhattan skyscraper near Grand Central Terminal on a recent Tuesday, 80 critically ill patients in intensive care units scattered from Georgia to New Jersey were being monitored, remotely, by a doctor scanning a dozen computer screens. ... More than a decade ago, this kind of tele-ICU command center was trumpeted by its creators as the new standard in critical care, a way to save lives and money ... Today, with the growth of such systems stalled at about 10 percent of ICU patients nationwide, and wildly contradictory studies about the results, no one can say with authority if, or under what circumstances, tele-ICUs deliver on their promises (Bernstein, 4/14). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
