BEST PRACTICES FOR MANAGING SURGICAL SERVICES - THE ROLE OF COORDINATION

Growing evidence exists that patient outcomes are related to how effec tively health care organizations coordinate work responsibilities amon g their staffs. However, information is lacking on actual practices th at can be used to achieve effective coordination. This article reports on a National Veterans Affairs Surgical Risk Study, in which the auth ors studies the coordination practices of 20 surgical services that, b ased on risk-adjusted mortality and morbidity rates, occupied differen t ends of the patient outcomes continuum.