| Summary: | Intensive care is one of the main contributors to rising inpatient hospital costs due to frequent use of expensive diagnostics and therapies. With successful track records of team- and protocol-based care, intensive care units are ideal sites to take the lead in reducing overuse and misuse of diagnostic tests and prescribing. We offer a framework for practicing and teaching cost-awareness in the intensive care unit based on the acronym TARGET. The components of the care are as follows: Talk to patients about their preferences for care, Ask for outside tests, avoid Routine and/or Repeated tests, prescribe Generic medications, Educate about costs, and Transfuse appropriately. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.
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