Book excerpt: Winner of a 2014 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award! Reaching America’s true potential to deliver and receive exceptional health care will require not only an immense and concerted effort, but a fundamental change of perspective from medical providers, government officials, industry leaders, and patients alike. The Institute of Medicine set forth six primary "aims" to which every participant in the American healthcare system must contribute: health care must be safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered. Presented as the acronym STEEEP, the collective realization of these goals is to reduce the burden of illness, injury, and disability in our nation. Baylor Health Care System is committed to doing its part and has adopted these six aims as its own. Achieving STEEEP Health Care tells the story of Baylor Health Care System’s continuing quality journey, offering practical strategies and lessons in the areas of people, culture, and processes that have contributed to dramatic improvements in patient and operational outcomes. This book also discusses newer approaches to accountable care that strive to simultaneously improve the patient experience of care, improve population health, and reduce per capita costs of health care. Provides the perspectives of senior leaders in the areas of corporate governance, finance, and physician and nurse leadership Supplies strategies for developing and supporting a culture of quality, including systems and tools for data collection, performance measurement and reporting Includes service-line examples of successful quality improvement initiatives from reducing heart failure readmissions to coordinating cancer care Outlines approaches to accountable care and improved population health and well-being