Table 1.

Multi-organization forms in healthcare

Form	Attributes	Healthcare examples
Field67	A number of organizations interacting to achieve common goals. The arrangement exhibits status hierarchies, networks, and shared values and identity.68	Healthcare in Alberta, Canada69
		NHS in England37,62,64
Federation70	Multiple semi-autonomous organizations that retain some legal autonomy while cooperating toward system goals and ceding some control to a central management body that provides inter-organizational coordination of activities. Within a complex environment, constituent organizations may be diverse and often dispersed geographically, though linked by physical and virtual networks.	U.S. hospitals71
		GP federations in England72
Quasi-firm73	A loosely coupled interorganizational arrangement of independent entities but with a shared and significant long-term strategic purpose. These arrangements are often established to manage interdependences resulting from technological innovation.	U.S. Healthcare sector73