Unleashing Hidden Team Resources: Time and Talent

The nation's shift to value-based care requires health-care systems to consider innovative operational changes that will support high-quality care while also containing cost in order to sustain long-term growth. To do so, leaders must uncover hidden resources within their operations. In this article, a director of care coordination shares how care coordinators in her hospital support patients and families, and how she uncovered two hidden resources within the care coordination team-time, and talent-in response to an operational challenge. The time available to leaders was expanded by dividing each leadership process into its basic elements and by reducing the number of scheduled meetings and required reports, reclaiming 1000 leadership hours in 1 year. She made the most of employee's talents by identifying each team member's unique interests and expertise and introducing a "team champion" system.