title: The myth and the reality of shared services.
abstract: Shared service arrangements can reduce hospital costs, upgrade the quality of care, and initiate a more cooperative approach to health care delivery, while also serving as a viable alternative to more fundamental reorganization. To get the most from a sharing arrangement, a hospital should avoid being influenced by the mystique surrounding shared services. Any decision to adopt a sharing arrangement should be preceded by careful analysis of the six shared services options and other alternatives.
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Kerr
mesh_terms: D003363:Cost Control; D006755:Hospital Shared Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011787:Quality of Health Care