Provider integration and local market conditions: a contingency theory perspective.

In recent years we have witnessed an expanding array of organizational arrangements for providing health care services in the U.S. These arrangements integrate previously independent providers at one or more points on the continuum of care. The presence of so many of these arrangements raises the question of whether certain types are more effective than are others to help providers adapt to their environment. This article discusses contingency theory as a conceptual lens for guiding empirical studies of the effectiveness of different types of arrangements.