Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is one of the topfive surgical diagnosis-related groups at Keesler Medical Center. The geometric mean length of stay for CEA during fiscal year (FY) 1996 was 5.84 days (N = 41), compared with 1.79 for a benchmark facility. Objective: Create a critical pathway to standardize care, maintain/improve patient outcomes, reduce lengths of stay, and decrease costs. Methods: A multidisciplinary team was formed to evaluate four patient-flow options. The team decided to

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... ge patients directly from the intensive care unit to meet both patient and staff needs. Results: The geometric mean length of stay decreased to 1.70 days (N= 54) in FY 1998, compared with 2.42 days (N = 40) in FY 1997. The cost savings was $5,841 per case, compared with $1,684 before creation of the pathway. This represents an annual savings of more than $224,000 and a 30% reduction in length of stay. Conclusions: The CEA pathway has standardized the care received by this group of patients. By decreasing variation, processes have become routine and more efficient.