Breaking the silos: Integrated care for cancer and chronic conditions

Abstract

People with cancer and a chronic condition have complex care needs that require input from multiple care providers in a variety of settings. Delivering these different aspects of care in isolation can give rise to fragmentations of care, experienced by patients as a disjointed and cumbersome care experience and by clinicians as gaps in communication and information flow. Fragmented care contributes to an ineffectiveness, inequality, inefficiency and higher cost of care. Reducing fragmentation through better care integration is thus a key health care priority for patients, health care providers and payers. This chapter reviews existing strategies to improve integration of care and reduce fragmentation and their respective strengths and limitations and argues further work is needed in developing novel models of care that support efficient and effective integration of care for patients with chronic conditions and cancer.