To purchase reprints, contact The InnoVision Group, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Phone, (800) 809-2273 or (949) 362-2050 (ext 532); fax, (949) 362-2049; e-mail, reprints@aacn.org. institution. The resources required by these patients can greatly exceed the reimbursements for their diagnosis-related groups (DRGs). A 1992 study by Bach et al showed that charges associated with LTV patients in an ICU averaged between $22 190 and $66 000 per month. MacIntyre estimated that the cost of ventilator management was approximately $1000/day. At the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, the average total DRG reimbursement before adjustments for service intensity Developing a Multidisciplinary Weaning Unit Through Collaboration