Concerns about care fragmentation and patient quality drove the development of the model.  Hospital surveys with nurses, physicians and patients indicated dissatisfaction with communication and continuity.  On the quality front, hospital leaders were concerned about the potential for increased risk due to a combination of higher volumes of complex, high acuity patients and large numbers of novice nurses.

The original idea for the 12-Bed Hospital originated in the Baptist cardiac unit, where in 2001 one of the care coordinators and a small team came up with the idea to have one person manage the care of a patient from admission through discharge.  After the successful development and deployment of the new role of Patient Care Facilitator to 12-bed mini-units within the cardiac unit, Baptist began slowing experimenting and rolling out the PCF role and the 12-Bed Hospital model.