Product line management in oncology: a Canadian experience.

More competition for finite resources and increasing regulation have led many hospitals to consider a strategic reorganization. Recently, one common reorganization strategy has been"product line management." Product line management can be broadly defined in terms of centralized program management, planning, and marketing strategies. In Canada, while strategic driving forces may be different, a product line management alternative has arisen in one of the most potentially complex product lines, cancer services. This article compares and contrasts the theoretical model for product line management development, with special reference to cancer services, to the experience of one Canadian medical center and cancer center.