A care pathway is a method of managing care based on evidence and clinical practice guidelines for a specific disease state in a defined patient population. Care pathways may aim to improve outcome measures or decrease costs, but many involve both goals. Their design should be methodical and involve input from multiple sources. Most care pathways involve a multidisciplinary team and are overseen by dedicated personnel. Care pathways should allow for variance (deviation from pathway), and variance should be used to modify the pathway if necessary. Pathways must consider transparency in design, patient awareness, and effect of implementation on providers.