Impact of a collaborative care approach to radical cystectomy and urinary reconstruction.

Purpose: We report the results of a collaborative care program that has been developed for radical cystectomy and urinary reconstruction.
Materials and Methods: All patients undergoing surgery after July 1993 were placed on a collaborative care pathway and were compared to patients undergoing the same procedure before this period.
Results: Total adjusted hospital charges decreased from $31,174 to $19,479. Hospital stay decreased from 12.7 to 10.3 days. There were also decreases in duration of surgery, blood loss, intensive care unit use and postoperative morbidity rates.
Conclusions: Collaborative care pathways favorably affect the cost efficiency of care and provide favorable surgical outcomes.