Abstract

The rapid growth in the cost of providing medical care in the United States is startlingly apparent in the care of critically ill patients. To encourage informed discussion of the issues surrounding intensive care in hospitals, Brookings convened a policy development seminar on May 27, 1986, that brought together health care practitioners, public and private sector officials, and academicians. This volume concludes with a set of proposals, developed after the conference, aimed at stimulating further dialogue.