title: A novel approach to gathering and acting on relevant clinical information: SCAMPs.
abstract: The current tools to adequately inform the process of improving health-care delivery consist primarily of retrospective studies, prospective trials, and clinical practice guidelines. We propose a novel and systematic approach that bridges the gap of our current tools to affect change, provides an infrastructure to improve health-care delivery, and identifies unnecessary resource utilization. The objective of this special article is to introduce the rationale and methods for this endeavor entitled "Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans" (SCAMPs). SCAMPs take a relatively heterogeneous patient population and through a process of iterative analysis and modification of standardized assessment and management algorithms, SCAMPs allow the intrinsic biologic variability in a patient population to emerge and be understood. SCAMPs can be used to complement our currently available tools in order to result in incremental and sustained improvement in health-care delivery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Boston, and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Rahul H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Rathod
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.forename: Kevin G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Dionne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Fulton
authors.forename: Jane W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Newburger
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Colan
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lock
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001900:Boston; D016507:Cardiology Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000592:standards; D010346:Patient Care Management / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016730:Program Development; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D016896:Treatment Outcome