Fostering collaboration in the medical practice: twenty-five tips.

ABSTRACT

It's a given that collaboration is an important aspect of medical practice management. But achieving genuine collaboration among the members of your medical practice team may not be as simple as it seems. This article suggests 25 practical strategies for medical practice employees and their managers to help them create and foster collaboration in their medical practices. Tips for collaborative goal setting, communication, ground rules, task delineation, sustainability, problem solving, and anticipating and handling problems are all described. In addition, this article offers a four-step strategy for dealing with a domineering collaborator and a five-step strategy for dealing with a collaboration slacker. This article also includes a 20-question self-quiz to help you and your employees evaluate your collaborative work style. Finally, this article describes 10 common collaboration pitfalls and the strategies you and your staff can use to avoid falling victim to them.