Implementation and evaluation of stroke clinical pathways and the impact on cost of stroke care.

Saint Luke's Hospital is a 642-bed urban, tertiary, teaching hospital in metropolitan Kansas City, Missouri. In 1992, Saint Luke's developed a "Collaborative Care" program supported by tools such as clinical paths as a means to assure quality stroke care and to continually improve outcomes. This article describes the development of a comprehensive Collaborative Care Program for stroke patients, highlights the development of a dedicated stroke unit, and stroke clinical path, and describes the clinical and fiscal outcomes from these efforts.