Tensions around introducing co-ordinated care: a case study of co-ordinated care trial

The aim of the research was to analyse the organisational dynamics surrounding a health care reform implementation process associated with the introduction of coordinated care, which is an Australian Government initiative to introduce structural changes to the funding and delivery of health-care in response to rising health care costs. A longitudinal case study of an implementation team was studied. This included the perceptions and experiences of individuals and institutions within hospitals, the general practice community and Divisions of General Practice. Furthermore, the case study explored organisational structures, decision-making processes and management systems of the Project and included an examination of the difficulties and conflicts that ensued. The broader context of health care reform was also considered. The study found that an effective change management strategy requires clarity around the definition of primary task in health care delivery, particularly when the task is complex and the environment uncertain. This requires a management and support structure able to accommodate the tensions that exists between providing care and managing cost, in a changing and complex system. The case study indicated that where tensions were not managed the functions of providing care and managing costs became disconnected, undermining the integrity of the task and impacting on the effective facilitation of the change process and hence, the capacity of stakeholders to embrace the model of co-ordinated care. Moreover, the micro dynamics of the project team seemed to parallel the macro dynamics of the broader system where economic and health care provision imperatives clash. Through its close analysis of change dynamics, the study provides suggestions for the improved engagement of stakeholders in health care change.