The development of care management systems to achieve clinical integration.

With development of managed care markets, health care delivery systems face increasing clinical and financial risk. For an integrated delivery system to survive, strategies for clinical integration and care management are essential. CareMap tools, collaborative practice groups, and case management serve as the foundation to accomplish care management over the health continuum. Coordination of care, within an institution and across traditional health settings, to achieve the best clinical and cost outcomes is the goal. The article discusses strategies for clinical integration, categories for measurement of performance, and the need to incorporate automated solutions into the strategic business plan.