Many of the reasons why we need to provide flexible and adaptable has already been addressed in previous chapters of this book. Some of theses reasons include the following:
- Unpredictable healthcare environment with fluctuating demand driven by changing reimbursement, new regulations and media attention;
- The blending and melding of many diagnostic and treatment modality with advances in technology;
- Staffing shortages in many specialties that necessitate the cross-training of staff and the creation of new job descriptions;
- Electronic information management that eliminates the need for physical proximity;
- Limited access to capital that requires ever more efficient utilization of all resources, including staff, equipment, and space(Hayward, 2006)..
