Utilizing physician leadership to reduce length of stay

With the proliferation of prospective payment, managed care and the concomitant shift in risk from payer to provider, hospitals are investing in utilization management programs to reduce cost per case while maintaining or improving clinical quality. This article discusses a major component of the utilization management program at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation: the use of physician champions. Overall, the length of stay reduction initiative resulted in a shorter average length of stay by 1.8 days (22 percent).