REENGINEERING THE WORK OF CAREGIVERS - ROLE REDEFINITION, TEAM STRUCTURES, AND ORGANIZATIONAL REDESIGN

Health care organizations are implementing new patient care delivery m odels with the expectation that operations reengineering will bring dr amatic improvements in cost, quality, and patient satisfaction. Togeth er with the fundamental redefinition of caregivers' work roles, the ad option of reengineering principles features the organization of work a ctivities around team structures such that teams are considered the ba sic unit of work performance. This article draws from reengineering ca se studies to consider how hospitals are operationalizing team care co ncepts at the patient care unit level. Using a classification of careg iver work that distinguishes care production and care management tasks , evolving care team models are discussed through a conceptual framewo rk that defines a continuum of team delivery strategies. The team mode ls are illustrated by brief case examples.