Clinical pathways and case management in anesthesia practice: new tools and systems for the evolving healthcare environment.

Clinical care pathways and case management are strategies utilized by increasing numbers of hospitals to meet the challenges of capitated reimbursement and managed care. A clinical pathway is an outcome-focused tool used to define a multidisciplinary plan of care. A case manager coordinates patient care across an episode of illness or hospitalization. These tools and systems have great potential for use by nurse anesthetists in ensuring that high-quality anesthesia care is delivered in a cost-effective manner.