The healthcare industry is using new teamwork approaches to design and construct new facilities that reduce project costs, shorten schedules, minimize claims and disputes and improve overall project quality, according to an article on the JD Supra Business Advisor website.

Two such teamwork approaches are the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and the Design-Assist delivery methods. Healthcare projects benefit greatly from involving contractors in the design process and otherwise achieving collaboration among all members of the project team, the article said.

With IPD, the owner, the architect or engineer and the contractor design and construct the project with shared risks and rewards in the ultimate cost, schedule and quality of the overall project. 

In the Design-Assist method, the construction team is engaged by the owner to collaborate with the architect or engineer during the design phase. 

Read the article.