Primary and secondary care integration.

Integration of primary and secondary health care is a goal of the 1993 New Zealand health reforms. Focus groups were selected to raise options and stimulate improved integration between primary and secondary care in the Auckland metropolitan and rural areas. Cooperation, communication, coordination, were considered relevant. Several detailed recommendations were produced. They fell into six groups; (1) liaison committees or meetings, (2) communication, (3) referral admission discharge, (4) joint ventures, (5) horizontal integration and (6) general. A key recommendation was that regional health authorities should fund liaison committees or functions to promote inter provider integration. The findings of the focus groups are placed in context of the wider requirements for integration. These are integrated funding, integrated information systems, integrated purchasing and utilisation management.