In reaction to the productivity challenges faced by hospital around the
globe, some hospitals have begun to move towards a process-oriented
organization of care in order to enhance productivity. Existing research on
process-oriented organization of hospitals emphasizes severe challenges along
the implementation process. Against this background, the purpose of this case
study is to explain how hospitals can be successfully reorganized in a
process-oriented way. We conducted
an exploratory single case study with semi-structured, face-to-face interviews
and document analyses as our primary data collection methods. We develop a theoretical framework of
antecedents, interventions, enablers, barriers, and consequences that explain
the trajectory of this successful hospital reorganization project. Our
contribution is a substantive theory on which other researchers can build and
can extend in future studies. Given
the small number of documented cases of hospital-wide process-oriented
reorganization, this case represents an unique case that is worth analysing.
Consequently, we were able to identify factors that have not been discussed in
the extant literature such as black-boxing of diagnosis and treatment
activities as an enabler. . In line with existing literature we also found that
even in this case  inflexible healthcare
IT was as a remarkable  barrier to the
implementation of process-orientation.