St. Paul plans treatment protocols for all patients. (St. Paul Medical Center)

MEDICAL CENTER - Although a patient is unique, the medical care a certain illness requires isn't.

Based on that premise, St. Paul Medical Center is instituting a broad outcomes management program, moving patients into treatment protocols which outline care from pre-admission to their return home.

St. Paul aims to have those protocols, or agreements on how to manage the process of caring for a patient, in place for most diseases by early next year, said Frank Tiedemann, St. Paul Medical Center president and CEO.

Although the effort produces savings, it isn't just about cutting costs, he said. Instead it helps the hospital marshal its resources to provide the …