Collapsing organisational silos in health system operations

‘Coordinated care’ is a growing concept in healthcare, with practices like electronic health records (EHR) helping disparate providers and specialists break out of silos to complement each other’s care for a given patient. But de-siloing is also beneficial — and sorely needed — in the way health systems organise their management teams, both in clinical and business operations. Virginia Mason Institute has helped medical centres minimise errors, reduce workloads and improve morale at all levels, from front-line staff to directors, through a series of reforms focused on cross-functional collaboration. These reforms may serve as a template for other systems to follow as they seek to conserve costs, engage staff and instil a culture of teamwork and shared goals. This paper describes how Virginia Mason applied VMPS in two scenarios. These scenarios showcase how combining two broad strategies and five specific tactics can diminish silos and improve efficiency, morale and financial performance.