Performance Health Partners
What if the key to better care wasn’t just cutting-edge tech or clinical expertise—but how well teams work together? As healthcare evolves at lightning speeds, team-based care is a tried and true strategy for reducing burnout, improving communication, and delivering safer, more efficient care. But building a truly collaborative care model takes more than good intentions. It takes strategy, structure, and loads of trust. Here are eight powerful ways to help care teams in healthcare thrive—together.
1. Establish a Shared Vision and Set Goals
Strong teams in healthcare are unified by a common objective. Without a shared vision, even the most skilled clinicians can end up working in silos. Before starting a new project or care initiative, it is important to first draft a project agreement to keep team members on track.
This document should cover:
- Project scope
- Communication expectations
- How often meetings will be conducted
- Agreed-upon risk tolerance
- Project constraints
- Clear definitions of each team member’s role
Articulating a compelling vision and ensuring that all team members understand and buy into the shared goals are the first vital steps in building a strong foundation for team-based care. Without this clarity, individual efforts may become fragmented, leading to inefficiencies and potentially compromising patient care and safety.
2. Prioritize Patient Experience
In the pursuit of operational efficiency, it is crucial to never lose sight of the primary reason teams in healthcare exist: to provide excellent patient care. This underscores the significance of consistently delivering on what matters most to patients.
Rather than overwhelming the team with numerous patient satisfaction initiatives, organizations should identify one or two simple yet impactful aspects of the patient experience and strive for consistent excellence in those areas. For example, a common pain point for many patients is the difficulty of scheduling appointments. Providing a 24/7 online scheduling system gives patients more control, reduces administrative load on staff, and leads to happier, more engaged patients overall.
Centering efforts around tangible patient needs can improve patient experience and build stronger patient-provider relationships. Supporting this, research has found positive associations between the quality of teamwork in healthcare and patients’ self-reported satisfaction with their care, as patients receiving care from higher-performing teams reported being more satisfied than those without.
3. Measure What Matters
Improving team performance starts with knowing what to measure. Rather than tracking every available data point, organizations should focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) that truly reflect the outcomes their teams are striving for. When chosen thoughtfully, these metrics can guide meaningful action and help teams identify what’s working—and what’s not.
Meaningful KPIs should encompass core aspects of care delivery, including:
- Quality of care
- Cost per patient outcome
- Operational efficiency
- Overall effectiveness of treatments
This focus on outcomes pushes teams in healthcare to make real progress rather than simply check boxes.
By regularly monitoring and analyzing these metrics, teams can identify areas of strength, pinpoint areas needing improvement, and make data-driven decisions to optimize their performance. The need for clear, accurate data that all team members can understand is a recurring theme in fostering effective team-based care.
4. Embrace the “Platinum Rule”
Effective teamwork in healthcare, both internally and in patient interactions, hinges on understanding and respecting individual preferences. This is where the “platinum rule” comes into play: rather than treating others as you would like to be treated, it encourages treating others as they would want to be treated. Recognizing and honoring these personal preferences is essential, as each person has unique needs, communication styles, and expectations.
In the context of patient care, this means taking the time to understand individual patient communication styles and preferences.
For example, recognizing that Millennials tend to prefer text messages rather than emails or phone calls for appointment reminders allows for more effective, patient-centered communication.
Similarly, within a team, understanding each member’s preferred communication style and work approach can significantly enhance collaboration and minimize misunderstandings.
5. Leverage Collective Intelligence
High-performing healthcare organizations recognize that the collective intelligence of a team far surpasses the capabilities of any single individual. Yet, studies in surgical services have found that 30% of team interactions include a communication failure of some type.
Even more alarming, patients who receive care from teams with poor teamwork are about five times as likely to experience complications or even death, with preventable patient deaths being twice as likely to be caused specifically by a communication failure.
This statistic underscores the importance of collaboration between staff to identify risks and ensure patient safety.
One practical technique for building stronger collaboration is called “brain on the wall.” Unlike traditional brainstorming, this method invites each team member to independently write down their ideas on sticky notes, which are then posted and organized collectively on a wall. By removing the pressure of groupthink or immediate feedback, every voice is heard without interruption or bias. This inclusive approach helps uncover common ground and build shared agreements—valuable foundations for driving safety initiatives and reducing harm.
6. View Conflict as an Opportunity for Growth
Differing expectations are an inherent part of any team dynamic and are often at the root of conflict. But rather than viewing conflict as a purely negative occurrence, teams should see it as an opportunity to uncover unmet needs and gain deeper insight into the perspectives of both colleagues and patients.
Even well-intentioned communication efforts, like team briefings or safety huddles, can sometimes expose underlying knowledge gaps, reinforce professional hierarchies, or create tension. These moments, however, offer critical insight into where expectations diverge and where current processes may be falling short.
By shifting perspective, teams in healthcare can recognize that conflict isn’t always a roadblock, but rather a powerful catalyst for growth and improvement. When addressed constructively, conflict can spark meaningful dialogue and strengthen relationships, leading to more effective teamwork and lasting improvements in care delivery.
7. Value and Leverage Team Diversity
A diverse team brings a range of perspectives, experiences, and insights that can drive innovation, improve problem-solving, and enhance patient care. Therefore, recognizing and celebrating diversity in all its forms—including race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background—is essential for building stronger, more inclusive healthcare teams.
Diversity fosters culturally sensitive care, which is especially important in addressing health disparities and promoting equity. When team members feel safe, respected, and empowered to share their unique viewpoints, the result is more collaborative, effective, and patient-centered care.
Ultimately, a team that reflects the diversity of the patients it cares for is better equipped to understand their needs and provide care that truly makes a difference.
8. Invest in Continuous Team Development
The best-performing teams in healthcare operate like a well-tuned orchestra; each member skilled in their own role, yet working in harmony to deliver impactful care. But achieving this level of coordination is easier said than done and requires ongoing investment in both team building and training.
Regular team-building activities for teams in healthcare—such as volunteering together at local shelters or community events—can strengthen camaraderie, boost morale, and build trust among staff. These shared experiences foster stronger interpersonal connections and contribute to a more collaborative workplace culture.
Similarly, structured team training—like role-playing exercises focused on communication, conflict resolution, or handling difficult patient interactions—helps team members refine essential skills in a safe, supportive environment. These trainings not only build confidence but also improve empathy, mutual respect, and coordination in high-pressure situations.
According to the American Hospital Association’s “Team-Based Health Care Delivery: Lessons from the Field,” team training has been shown to reduce medical errors and strengthen patient safety, supporting a direct link between team-based strategies and positive patient safety outcomes.
Final Thoughts
It is clear that interprofessional team collaboration is necessary for delivering quality care and improving patient outcomes. The team-based care strategies outlined above are designed to strengthen communication, build trust and respect among team members, and support more effective interventions. The result: greater patient satisfaction, better adherence to treatment plans, and fewer medical errors.
As healthcare continues to shift toward value-based care, team-based models are becoming increasingly important—not only to improve outcomes, but also to align financial incentives and meet evolving care delivery standards. By prioritizing collaboration across disciplines, healthcare teams can deliver more coordinated, person-centered care and drive meaningful, lasting improvements in both patient experience and health outcomes.