Do concerns about costs impact ICU care?

It's not clear how often financial considerations come into play when providing costly care in the intensive care unit — but a new study takes a step toward better understanding the issue. Researchers studied narrative clinical notes from more than 45,000 admissions to the ICU at a large academic medical center. Of those cases, 4 percent had a note reflecting financial concerns during a patient's time in the ICU. The longer the hospital stay, the more likely it was there was a mention of money in a patient's notes. Cost discussions were also tied to changes in treatment or discharge plans in up to 0.7 percent of admissions, which the authors say suggests financial considerations can shape care.