title: Push past pathway limits to cut resource use.
abstract: With lengths of stay now beginning to rebound, some experts claim that clinical pathways must be used primarily to standardize resource utilization and foster a team approach in coordinating patient care. While length of stay remains an important variable to measure, pathways don't have to be structured using a traditional time line. Other options include using a flowchart approach and supplementing traditional pathways with perioperative pathways and algorithms. To effectively identify and decrease unnecessary resource use, you must analyze what physicians and other clinicians are really using and attempt to standardize it, experts say.
mesh_terms: D019643:Arthroplasty, Replacement / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D019090:Case Management; D017046:Cost Savings; D019091:Critical Pathways; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012985:Software Design; D014481:United States