The US is not receiving good value for its health care investment. Although health care expenditures in the US are far higher than in other developed nations, many of our outcomes are far worse. For example, the US ranks 31st among nations on life expectancy, 36th on infant mortality, 28th on male healthy life expectancy, and 29th on healthy female life expectancy. And, we are the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee health care to all its citizens.  

With a few exceptions, current models for health care delivery in the US do not optimize the system as a whole. Each sector (i.e., hospitals, physicians, etc.) functions based on its own goals and interests, but few players act in accordance with system-wide goals. Patients are often left to coordinate care and processes, compensating for the fragmented nature of today’s system.  

At the same time, a growing number of high performing organizations, both within and outside the US, are demonstrating new approaches to health care delivery that counter current fragmentation and apply cost-effective and patient-centered care across well-defined populations. The Triple Aim is an effort to identify and learn from these innovators in hopes of highlighting strategies that can be applied more broadly. There are many benefits, including the possibility of freeing up resources for other purposes, such as covering the uninsured.