1. Aligning Forces for Quality Improving Health and Health Care Across America

2. The State of Health Care Quality Despite spending more on health care than any other country, the U.S. lags behind most major industrialized nations in many important aspects of the health care we provide. Across America, there are serious gaps between the health care that people should receive and the care they actually receive. Good health care and bad health care is being delivered in hospitals and in doctors’ offices. There are too many mistakes, too much miscommunication and too much inequity in our health care system.

3. What is Aligning Forces for Quality? Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s signature effort in its longstanding commitment to improve the quality of health care that Americans receive. The goal is to lift the overall quality of health care in targeted communities, reduce racial and ethnic disparities and provide models for national reform. While health care quality is a national problem, health care is delivered locally, and fixing it requires local action. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is working with those who get care, give care and pay for care to deliver lasting change across entire communities.

4. AF4Q Areas of Focus Improving quality across all settings Engaging consumers Measuring provider performance Increasing public reporting Engaging nurses to be active leaders Addressing inequities Overcoming language barriers

5. Accomplishing the Goals of AF4Q AF4Q is working to achieve its goals by: Helping physicians improve the quality of care for patients. Engaging people to become better partners with their doctors and make informed choices about their care. Improving care across different settings, with a special focus on the central role that nursing plays. Reducing inequality in care for patients of different races and ethnicities by measuring gaps in care and targeting strategies for improvement.

6. 2008 AF4Q Communities

7. AF4Q in Our Community NOTE: AF4Q community leaders to insert language about current goals and activities.

8. Next Steps NOTE: AF4Q community leaders to insert language about immediate next steps at the local level.

9. For More Information Visit www.rwjf.org/qualityequality.www.rwjf.org/qualityequality