Clinical care pathways: Decreasing resource utilization in head and neck surgical patients

In this era of decreasing reimbursement, health systems have been forced to become more efficient and decrease resource utilization to remain financially viable. One of the methods of internal cost control has been the use of clinical pathways. Given the complexity of treatment of head and neck canc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery 1999-12, Vol.121 (6), p.755-759
Main Authors: HUSBANDS, JULIAN M, WEBER, RANDAL S, KARPATI, RONIT L, WEINSTEIN, GREGORY S, CHALIAN, ARA A, GOLDBERG, ANDREW N, THALER, ERICA R, WOLF, PATRICIA F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Critical Pathways
Female
Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology
Head and Neck Neoplasms - surgery
Health Resources - utilization
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Staging
Pennsylvania
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:In this era of decreasing reimbursement, health systems have been forced to become more efficient and decrease resource utilization to remain financially viable. One of the methods of internal cost control has been the use of clinical pathways. Given the complexity of treatment of head and neck cancer patients, clinical pathways can help to standardize decision making and introduce uniformity in resource utilization. The objective of this study is to compare resource utilization and outcomes before and after implementation of a clinical pathway for head and neck surgical patients. We observed significant decreases in hospital costs as well as shorter lengths of stay after pathway implementation. It is our belief that a uniform management tool is beneficial in this complex disease.
ISSN:0194-5998
1097-6817
DOI:10.1053/hn.1999.v121.a98217