Regulation and hospital strategic planning in Canada

Constraints on resources push hospitals into strategic planning. Although this process is accelerating in the United States, Canadian hospitals need to approach planning according to the provincial structure. This study included a literature and policy review as well as interviews of key stakeholders. Decisions toward centralized planning versus hospital-initiated development were found to depend on the availability of planning and policy staff, and the views of the elected representatives. Implications for Canadian health care planners were offered.