Avoiding Crisis Conditions in the Healthcare Infrastructure: 2 Case Studies in Statewide Collaboration

Measuring Strain in the ICU*

“…Nonetheless, the impact of these surges was not uniform, and some health systems sought to manage this uneven burden through structured transfers from more-burdened to less-burdened facilities. This system of transfers, known as “load balancing,” was implemented successfully in many jurisdictions with the added benefit of avoiding crisis standards of care, where resource limitations would inhibit the standard practice of effective critical care (5–7). Unfortunately, other regions were less successful in load balancing, where competition between hospitals and health systems, incomplete data, and inefficient communications acted as barriers to the safe and organized transfer of patients (8).…”