Evaluating the cost containment potential of clinical guidelines.

New expensive biotechnology products create financial as well as clinical dilemmas for hospitals. Clinical guidelines that govern the use of these new products are often viewed as the best response to these dilemmas. This article describes a prospective analysis of the impact of one new drug and the guidelines developed to control its use. A simple model of clinical decision making is used to evaluate alternative scenarios. The analysis illustrates the importance of evaluating the cost containment potential of clinical guidelines before they are implemented.