Critical Pathways are sweeping the nation's hospitals and integrated
healthcare systems. They are helping to improve patient care, lower
resource utilization, increase patient satisfaction and develop cohesive
interdisciplinary teams of health care professionals. The most notable
development has been the evolution of critical pathways in integrated
delivery settings and managed care systems. The growing pressure
from managed care organizations and now employers is compelling
Hospital Administrators to initiate critical pathways as a tactic to reduce
their costs. Managing the costs of inpatient and outpatient hospital care
while maintaining high quality care poses unique challenges to the
healthcare industry. In the past, hospitals did not have programs that
incorporated cost reduction and quality measures simultaneously.
Traditional cost control measures, such as inventory reductions and layoffs,
have provided only short-term solutions and in many instances have even
created additional problems. Hospitals have had an even harder time
measuring quality. Hospitals have traditionally relied on a theory know as
"quality by inspection" which is also know as the "theory of bad apples".
The premise is that if the hospital removes all the "bad" systems, processes
and individuals, then quality outcomes will result. Purchasers and consurmers
of healthcare are now forcing hospitals to become accountable for providing
low cost, high quality care. Critical pathways are one way for a hospital to
meet this challenge. USSC's Critical Pathways program offers a simple
step-by-step approach to critical pathway development for laparoscopic
procedures. As a mechanism for organizing the diagnosis and treatment of
patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery the program will help:

Promote interdepartmental coordination

Reduce variation in care

Sequence services appropriately

Prevent delays, duplication and costs

Involve patients in their care

USSC will work with your medical and nursing staffs to create a pathway
uniquely tailored to meet the needs of your patients and your institution.
The program is designed to develop a critical pathway in approximately six
meetings. After using the USSC Critical Pathways Program, your staff will
be better prepared to replicate this user-friendly template with many other
patient diagnoses. USSC's Critical Pathways program incorporates a number
of methods currently employed by health care practioners. The program is:
Fact based and data driven, using data from clinical and financial resources
to aid in decision making. Multifunctional involving physicians, nursing staff,
other care givers and various financial and other personnel. Consistent with
TQM initiatives relying on ongoing measurment and updating improvement
of the pathway. Process focused viewing delivery of care as a process as
opposed to a series of unrelated events. Procedure oriented addressing OR
issues and the portion of the overall episode of care where the majority of
resources are consumed for surgical cases.

For more information on our Critical Pathways Program, call the
Partnering with USSC Hotline (800) 336-0263.

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