title: Clinical pathways and case management in anesthesia practice: new tools and systems for the evolving healthcare environment.
abstract: Clinical care pathways and case management are strategies utilized by increasing numbers of hospitals to meet the challenges of capitated reimbursement and managed care. A clinical pathway is an outcome-focused tool used to define a multidisciplinary plan of care. A case manager coordinates patient care across an episode of illness or hospitalization. These tools and systems have great potential for use by nurse anesthetists in ensuring that high-quality anesthesia care is delivered in a cost-effective manner.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Critical Care and Anesthesia, Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rietz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Deshpande
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia; D019090:Case Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009719:Nurse Anesthetists / Q000458:organization & administration*