1st Annual Crossing the Quality Chasm Summit

This free executive summary is provided by the National Academies as part of their mission to educate the world on issues of science, engineering, and health.

Abstract

This report provides a synthesis of the outcomes of the summit, and is not intended to contain an exhaustive review of the literature for all of the topics discussed. Its content reflects the committee's commitment to carrying out its charge, which was to plan and execute a national summit focused on the vision of the Quality Chasm report for improving quality of care for a targeted set of conditions at both the community and national levels. A number of additional issues beyond this charge were discussed by the committee during its deliberations and by some summit participants, but are not captured in this follow-up report. Among others, these include how to enhance public health infrastructure and integrate it effectively into the personal health care system; how clinical education must be transformed so that health care professionals are best prepared to practice in a transformed system; and how clinicians, particularly physicians, can be engaged in quality improvement efforts.