[Clinical pathways: experiences, expectations, and perspectives]. / Behandlungspfade: Erfahrungen, Erwartungen, Perspektiven.

Due to economic necessities, existing reserves in clinical practice have to be used efficiently. The presentation of medical activity and systematic illustration of medical decisions in the form of clinical pathways constitute important tools to ensure the quality of patient care under fiscal pressure caused by the DRG system. To successfully establish clinical pathways, the architecture of the standard operating procedures developed specifically for a hospital must adequately reflect medical concerns and patient-related needs. The concept of necessity for the good of the patient applies in this instance rather than the principle of the complete depiction of all medical processes. Organizing the implementation into clinical practice should be assured and monitored. The standard operating procedures should be regularly adapted to suit medical developments. Success with the procedure should be reported and deviations from predetermined targets should be documented. A clinical pathway does not represent an administrative end in itself but rather a part of a higher control system that helps to improve the utilisation of the hospital's resources in terms of reliability and quality of patient care.

Which factors render cost-covering lump-sum charging difficult for the treatment of patients with acute leukemias?

BACKGROUND: Growing budget limitations and the planned charging subject to Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRG) points raise the question as to what costs are incurred by the induction therapy and early consolidation treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemias (AML) and whether these can be compensated in a cost-covering manner by a system based on DRG points. PATIENTS AND METHODS: For 100 patients recruited within the framework of the "Kooperative AML-Studie 96" of the Süddeutsche Hämoblastosegruppe a process cost analysis was made between 1996 and 1999. All manpower and material costs incurred in the department itself and in the secondary services departments as well as the basic cost shares were recorded taking into due account the length of stay. The cost breakdown was effected based on a double induction therapy and one early consolidation treatment. RESULTS: It turns out that substantial differences exist between lower und upper limits of the length of stay and costs. For all three therapy blocks for patients up to 60 years the cost spread varies between 63 and 204 kDM with a median of 105 kDM, and for older patients between 55.6 and 146.6 kDM with a median of 87.6 kDM. On average, the costs subject to length of stay were roughly 70%. CONCLUSIONS: As the costs per case are subject to a spread and, for this relatively small group of patients, are extremely high, the fixing of a case-related lump sum is problematic, the more so as age of patient, comorbidity, type of therapy, ist outcome, and therapy-induced complications represent decisive influencing factors.