Boston after dark is the town that scared and repulsed even Edgar Allan Poe, inspired H.P. Lovecraft, and brought the hunting of witches and murder of hapless innocents to American shores. Come to the Boston Common and walk over a thousand bodies of the long-dead. Take in some theater and be sure to excuse yourself when passing by the seat that only seems empty. Head out to the swampy suburbs, dance with the Will o' the Wisps and hike along the lost paths of Dogtown, where witches once extracted tolls on passersby. Welcome to Boston's eerie environs, and watch out for stranglers.

This handbook gives profound insight into the main ideas and concepts of integrated care. It offers a managed care perspective with a focus on patient orientation, efficiency, and quality by applying widely recognized management approaches to the field of health care. The handbook also provides international best practices and shows how integrated care does work throughout various health systems. The delivery of health and social care is characterised by fragmentation and complexity in most health systems throughout the world. Therefore, much of the recent international discussion in the field of health policy and health management has focused on the topic of integrated care. "Integrated" acknowledges the complexity of patients needs and aims to meet it by taking into account both health and social care aspects. Changing and improving processes in a coordinated way is at the heart of this approach.

This handbook shares profound insights into the main principles and concepts of integrated care. It offers a multi-disciplinary perspective with a focus on patient orientation, efficiency, and quality by applying widely recognized management approaches to the field of healthcare. The handbook also highlights international best practices and shows how integrated care can work in various health systems. In the majority of health systems around the world, the delivery of healthcare and social care is characterised by fragmentation and complexity. Consequently, much of the recent international discussion in the fields of health policy and health management has focused on the topic of integrated care. "Integrated" acknowledges the complexity of patients' needs and aims to meet them by taking into account both health and social care aspects. Changing and improving processes in a coordinated way is at the heart of this approach. The second edition offers new chapters on people-centredness, complexity theories and evaluation methods, additional management tools and a wealth of experiences from different countries and localities. It is essential reading both for health policymakers seeking inspiration for legislation and for practitioners involved in the management of public health services who want to learn from good practice.