Architects of care; how we built support for clinical pathways. Interview by Kevin Lumsdon

When executives at Anne Arundel Medical Center committed the organization to a strategic focus on measuring and improving performance, they didn't simply tinker with the margins of clinical activity; they dispatched teams of clinicians and patients to redesign care. In developing clinical pathways, the teams achieved dramatic reductions in length of stay--and increased satisfaction all around. Jonathan T. Lord, M.D., previously senior vice president for medical staff affairs at the Annapolis, MD, facility, spoke recently with senior editor Kevin Lumsdon about the intricacies of the initiative--and how he's taking that experience into his current position as executive vice president for clinical services at the SunHealth Alliance, Charlotte, NC.