[Quality management: internal guidelines and critical pathways for patients].
BACKGROUND
The construction and implementation of "Practice Guidelines" was one of the most important developments in American medicine of the last 15 years. There is ongoing controversy about the effectiveness of these guidelines to get introduced into practice. It has been proved, however, that guidelines developed by care organizations themselves, will show a higher effectiveness and acceptance and will achieve more positive results (Internal Guidelines, "Locally Owned" Standards). "Mipp": Internal Guidelines are also the starting point for the patient pathways of the model of integrated patient pathways "mipp", developed at the Kantonsspital Aarau in the last 7 years. The model is presented with its main features: Construction and Implementation of Pathways, Path-Controlling, Path-Benchmarking and Path-Visualization. "Mipp" Pathways share with Clinical Pathways the interdisciplinary perspectives for an efficient quality management. The description of processes is combined with an integrated calculation of costs, which is the basis of standard cost accounting and even activity based-costing.


CONCLUSIONS
In the field of upcoming prospective payment systems (PPS) like ARDRG, APDRG etc. it is of utmost importance for care organizations to have a clear view regarding the treatment processes and the possibilities of their improvement.
Müller
H P
HP
Arztliche Projektleitung mipp, Kantonsspital Aarau, Schweiz. hanspeter.mueller@ksa.ch
Schmid
K
K
Conen
D
D
D019985:Benchmarking; D019090:Case Management / Q000592:standards*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D019091:Critical Pathways; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013557:Switzerland; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*
Qualitätsmanagement: Interne Leitlinien und Patientenpfade.