Modern health care delivery systems, care coordination and the role of hospitals

The existing models of health care provision, often subject to fragmentation and insufficient coherence, appear to be one of the main causes limiting efficiency of interventions and quality of health outcomes. Ageing populations with multiple co-morbidities, increasing expectations of health service quality and safety and the ability to access these services through cross border care require due attention given to coordination mechanisms. Work in this field in the European context is closely linked to the global initiative started by the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters on the global hospital agenda within the wider context of coordinated care. The present events aimed to move a step further on the road to better integration and coordination of health promotion and care, by creating a shared understanding of the current state of health care delivery systems and strengthen their capacity to address change, determine priority areas for research and seeking expert guidance in how best WHO can support Member States in these areas.