Case Management and the Integration of Services: How Service Delivery Systems Shape Case Management

T HE NOTION that case manage-ment is a mechanism for the coor-dination ofservices is a myth that has been used to rationalize the current state of fragmentation in the service delivery system. When delivery sys-tems lack an administrative structure and adequate resources, case manage-ment is, at best, an attempt to cope with a chaotic service environment. It is a fallacy that if service provid-ers would only work together, there would be enough resources. When delivery systems are fragmented, it is impossible to accurately assess the availability of resources. This article