Collaboration Specialists

The professionals at Collaboration Specialists have provided conflict management services since 1998, drawing on clinical and managerial expertise in health systems, clinics, and group practices. We work exclusively within complex organizational systems in health care and prisons.

Representative projects

Large group facilitation of patients’ input into California health care policy
Board of Directors, Mediators Beyond Borders
Participating in panel of patient safety experts for World Health Organization
Mediating efforts to design a system of treatment and due process for mentally ill parolees unable to participate in legal proceedings
Multidisciplinary large group facilitation to design projects integrating Western and complementary therapies
Teaching conflict resolution to law students at a West Coast university
Facilitating dialogues in the planning process for rebuilding New Orleans
Leading a series of patient safety/collaboration workshops for physicians and staff at a West Coast hospital
Mediation after a patient death during treatment
Leading a physician leadership retreat for a Northwest health system
Advising a community hospital on providing mediation through its ethics service
Advising a patient safety organization on its international activities

Collaboration Specialists continuously adapts problem-solving methods. We know that a process or a solution isn’t much good if it doesn’t fit that unit, that type of medicine, that organization, that patient and family. We complement health care professionals’ own problem-solving expertise, reducing obstacles so that they can determine their own solutions.

This can mean proactive projects where we work alongside those involved to take the theoretical – broad principles such as patient safety, teamwork, patient-centered care -- and translate it into a practical context. We can also be a resource where there has been intractable conflict, creating the conditions to turn charged or politically sensitive conversations more productive. We can act as a bridge, translating what can amount to different languages in the worlds of health care professionals, patients, leadership, and legal professions, and help turn the tone from adversarial to partnership.

And solutions can be just as varied as the processes. Some difficult issues require just-in-time consults with a skilled group of peers, a conflict resolution professional, or concise written resources. Many are best managed by the individuals themselves, on-the-spot, integrated into operations and clinical practice. Some are longer-term investments, a deliberative practice to jointly design changes to improve patient safety and create a more meaningful work environment.

Collaboration Specialists is led by Ginny Morrison, JD. Services are available throughout the U.S. and Canada as we draw on the talents of doctors, nurses, and attorneys experienced in conflict resolution. We work collaboratively with a host of international companies to expand the range of subject matter expertise and scope of services we provide.