title: Making integration work requires more than goodwill.
abstract: Over the past three years I have had the opportunity to be involved in two integration projects regarding cancer services. Both projects crossed jurisdictional, geographical and healthcare-provider boundaries and used cooperation and collaboration to work toward the goal of an integrated, quality, multi-disciplinary, seamless, patient-centred approach to cancer care. The projects have provided a perspective of what worked well and what could be improved when integrating healthcare services across organizational and provider boundaries. Governance emerged as a key determinant of project progress and successful change.
authors.affiliation: Strategic and Integrated Service Planning, Alberta Health Services.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Smyth
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D054976:Clinical Governance / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005544:Forecasting; D006075:Governing Board / Q000458:organization & administration; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000458:organization & administration; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D018511:Systems Integration