Model for an integrated health system

Purpose Theoretically, a health system has been described in terms of integration being the coordination of health services and collaboration amongst provider organizations. The components of an integrated health system remain inconclusive. Although senior healthcare executives establish structures and designs which facilitate the delivery of integrated care, their perspectives of a health system have not been explored. The purpose of this paper is to present senior healthcare executives' perspectives of a health system which, when combined, form a model for developing an integrated health system. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative methodology and a multi-case study design, 11 presidents and 4 senior vice presidents of major healthcare organizations or systems in Ontario Canada were selected from a target population of 246 senior healthcare executives to engage in 1 h interviews each. Critical case sampling was applied in the selection of the study sample. Interviews were conducted between December 2017 and February 2018. Findings Senior healthcare executives expressed four distinct perspectives of a health system: systems, institutional, clinical and governance. When combined, the four perspectives form an original research-based concept or model for an integrated health system. Originality/value This paper conveys results of personal interviews with senior healthcare executives and presents a proposed model for an integrated health system based on their four distinct perspectives of a health system.