Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Brigham and Women's Care Redesign Incubator and Startup Program

Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that diagnostic care for patients who were referred within the institution for suspicious lung lesions was variable, complicated and inefficient. For example, particular demographic groups had a higher risk of having a prolonged time from initial presentation to diagnosis or of being lost to follow up completely. To address this problem, a team created an innovative clinical pathway to improve care for vulnerable patients with suspected lung cancer. The clinical pathway employed a clinical strategist role to 1) ensure diagnostic interventions were most clinically appropriate, 2) improve logistical coordination and 3) serve as resource and advocate for referred patients.