A Preliminary Evaluation Of Case Mix Management By Clinica Pathway In A Tertiary Hospital In Hefei

Objective To assess the effects of management by clinical pathways on patients and so as to inform better medical service and containment of unreasonable rise of medical charges and costs.Methods Electronic medical case records of inpatients admitted to a first class hospital in Hefei from Mar. 2010 to Dec. 2010 were used as source data. Pre- and post-implementation comparisons were made in assessing the effects of management by clinical pathways. Cases selected for study were colon cancer, cholecystolithiasis and varicose vein of lower extremity. Indicators used in the evaluation included length of stay, proportion of improved or cured patients upon discharge, cost of hospitalization,drug expenses, examination charges and satisfaction degree. SPSS 13.0 software was employed in performing data analysis. T and Chi-square tests were used in measuring the power of differences in indicators between groups.Results In general, implementation of clinical pathways reduced average length of stay, cost of hospitalization, drug expenses and examination charges. And the satisfaction degree of patients and medical quality were improved.Conclusions As a new case management methodology, management by clinical pathway merits further promotion. It could improve medical service quality, reduce financial burden of patients and raise patient satisfaction.