title: When the well runs dry: making the switch to disease management.
abstract: If you've shortened lengths of stay and cut costs as much as possible short of jeopardizing patient care, it may be time to take what some experts consider the next step beyond traditional case management: hospital-based disease management. Disease management involves not merely making a few process improvements but actually changing the underlying structure of how care is provided, particularly for patients with chronic conditions. Although clinical pathways can help in making the transition to a disease management approach, the most important factor to consider is how to get everyone--both within your facility and along the continuum--on the same page when it comes to managing chronically ill patients.
mesh_terms: D019090:Case Management; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019091:Critical Pathways; D019468:Disease Management; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States