Aligning Forces for Quality is, at its heart, about innovation. the communities and people who engage with this unique program are nto only open to new ideas, but also enthusiastic to find them; not only willing collaborators, but also eager to build strong partnershps; not only the most created scientists, but also determined to experiment until the answers become clear.

There is no recipe for success in improving health care quality, but the Aligning Forces communities and others engaged in this work are creating a roadmap, one that points out both areas to avoid and areas worth a harder look.

The bright spots featured here are illustrative of thet type of ground level innovation and experimentation going on everyday, in ways big and small, where change can be measured and assessed in real time. Both sparks of success and hard lessons learned offer important guidance.

They don't begin to cover all that we have learned, but they begin to light the way.