Accelerating best care at baylor dallas.

A culture of quality improvement (QI) is needed to bridge the gap between possible STEEEP (safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered) care and actual usual care. Baylor Health Care System (BHCS) developed Accelerating Best Care at Baylor (ABC Baylor), an innovative educational program that teaches health care leaders the theory and techniques of rapid-cycle QI. Course participants learn general principles of continuous QI, as well as health care-specific QI techniques, and finish the course by designing and implementing their own QI project. ABC Baylor has been employed in a variety of settings and has spread its success to other organizations, especially small and rural hospitals. These hospitals, like BHCS, have demonstrated sustained improvements that are due in part to the use of ABC Baylor and its reliance on specific modules that focus on health care safety, service, equity, and chronic disease management. The role of ABC Baylor training and consulting is part of the overall culture and infrastructure that have allowed BHCS to achieve success in its improvement journey, including the receipt of several national awards and the achievement of high reliability in compliance with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services core measures of processes of care related to heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, community-acquired pneumonia, and surgical care. The culture of rapid-cycle QI facilitated by ABC Baylor serves to link BHCS's vision and goals to practical execution.