INTERORGANIZATIONAL EXCHANGES AS PERFORMANCE MARKERS IN A COMMUNITY CANCER NETWORK

Objective. This study examines how 'strategic partnerships' between co mmunity-based consortia of oncologists and hospitals (CCOPs) and clini cal cooperative groups emerge, develop, and influence patient accruals (i.e., the number of patients enrolled in clinical trials) over time. Data Sources and Study Setting. Study analyses are based on 65 pairwi se relationships that 38 CCOPs established with eight clinical coopera tive groups in September 1983 and maintained through February 1989. Da ta are drawn from grantee applications and progress reports. Study Des ign. The study examines how different types of CCOP-cooperative group exchange relate to one another and to CCOP patient accruals over six t ime points. Key independent variables include resource dependence, inf ormation exchange (i.e., meeting attendance and committee membership), and protocol exchange (i.e., the number of different protocols used). Data Collection Methods. Data extracted from secondary sources were e ntered in a data base. Principal Findings. The number of CCOP physicia ns and support staff who attend cooperative group meetings during the first two years of a clinical research partnership has a significant i nfluence on meeting attendance and protocol use in later years. Two-th irds or more of the variance in patient accruals at each time point ca n be explained by the number of different protocols used and the numbe r of CCOP representatives serving on cooperative group committees (or attending cooperative group meetings). Conclusions. The findings highl ight the importance of historical relationships and anticipated resour ce dependence in shaping initial exchange patterns- They also suggest that strategic partner-ships need to emphasize structures and processe s that encourage early involvement in collaborative activities and tha t reward participants for maintaining high levels of interaction.