Appropriate Utilization of Resources Program

Abstract

Southern California Kaiser Permanente developed a regionwide Appropriate Utilization of Resources (AUR) Program that links quality assurance to utili zation control. The initial program goal is to signifi cantly reduce the regional inpatient utilization rate across all age groups without sacrificing quality of care or service. Objectives include increasing outpa tient surgery and same-day admissions for scheduled surgery, eliminating unnecessary medical admissions and days of hospitalization, optimizing utilization of critical care units, and ensuring continued high qual ity of care and service. The components of the pro gram are detailed, as is the review process itself. The author concludes with a description of the plan to expand the Program.