A Means to Improve Quality and Control the Costs of Cure in Children with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Abstract

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a costly disease to treat, as patients experience many hospital stays secondary to chemotherapy, the side effects of treatment, and bone marrow transplantation. The trend for some medical centers has been to reduce costs and increase quality through case management. The case manager uses critical pathways and one-on-one interaction to facilitate the patients' progress through the hospital system and to decrease delays and duplication. Case management and critical pathways could become an indispensable tool for the management of pediatric patients with cancer.