Clinical integration and nursing leadership across an integrated delivery system.

As new health systems struggle to combine in today's challenging health care market, mechanisms that facilitate and enhance integration become increasingly important. This article describes the use of clinical paths in an integrated delivery system (IDS) as a methodology to establish a single standard of high-quality care. Through education and sharing of staff development resources across the IDS, the system nurse executive at one large IDS promotes professional practice. As clinical paths are developed across the system, the best clinical practice is put to paper, providing a framework for outcome-driven care. The nurse manager assesses staff's use of clinical paths as an evaluation of their skills and competency and to identify new educational and growth opportunities.