The Challenge of Making It Real: Interdisciplinary Practice in a “Seamless” Organization

Managed care is forcing health care organizations to change. Many are seeking structures in which staff can deliver sound, better-integrated care and service faster and at lower cost. The university of Virginia Medical Center developed and implemented a type of "boundaryless" or "seamless" organizational structure aimed at achieving these goals through more highly developed interdisciplinary clinical and administrative practice. This article is a progress report of that reorganization.