•Integrated care is a key principle in Croatia's model of palliative care.•Numerous national and local determinants influence the implementation of integrated palliative care.•New organizational structures, stakeholders’ empowerment, and service provision are crucial.•A bottom-up approach and the mapping of business processes can foster integration. In Croatia, palliative care has been developing as an integral part of the health care system since 2014. This development is in line with the integrated care concept emerging in many countries. However, there are a number of implementation problems. The aim of this article was to identify positive and negative determinants for the integration of palliative care in Croatia. We identified policy processes or organizational changes within three key domains: the development of new organizational structures, stakeholders’ empowerment, and removing barriers to the provision of integrated palliative care. The progress visible in these domains shows the sustainability of the palliative care model used in Croatia. However, there are also barriers hindering the integration of palliative care. We conclude that patient-centred and process-based change in health care can have a positive effect on the integration of care. Staff education and regulation of business processes are key for the sustainability of reforms. Lastly, it seems easier to achieve the integration of care when it develops as a bottom-up model and reflects the need for new processes, than when it is imposed from above as a single regional or national model.