PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Robert L Chatburn
AU  - Richard M Ford
AU  - Garry W Kauffman
TI  - Determining the Value-Efficiency of Respiratory Care
AID  - 10.4187/respcare.09100
DP  - 2022 Sep 14
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - respcare.09100
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/early/2021/09/14/respcare.09100.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/early/2021/09/14/respcare.09100.full
AB  - In order to determine, document, and communicate the value of respiratory therapists performing respiratory care procedures, the respiratory care profession needs to position itself to capture and report both time and value standards that can be applied in justifying respiratory care resources. To do this, we propose a new metric called value-efficiency, defined as the product of activity efficiency and activity value. Activity efficiency is conventionally defined as activity hours (product of activity volume and standard time) divided by worked hours. Activity value is a new concept. It is assigned according to the degree to which any given respiratory care activity contributes to the general patient care goals of safety, comfort, or liberation. The rubric is to score each activity on a scale of 0 to 2 for 5 categories of value: evidence, utility, indications for use, and goals served. The value ratings for all activities of a given respiratory care department can be established using the experience of experts, discussion, and literature review. Significant challenges are facing the respiratory care profession, and a focus on value-efficiency is a direction the profession must pursue. This approach is a practical response to the increasing demands of payers, administrators, consultants, and patients.