Development and implementation of a program to reduce hospital stays and manage resources on a community-wide basis

The study describes an effort to reduce hospital stays and limit the use of expensive resources in the metropolitan area of Syracuse, New York. The program included the implementation of clinical pathways for a number of surgical procedures and medical diagnoses. The effort involved the identification of specific resource variables in a wide range of clinical disciplines. The program was important because it focused on cooperative efforts at length of stay and resource reduction by the staffs of all of the hospitals within a common service area.