Helping States enhance health care quality through technical assistance.

For the money spent on health care in the United States, far better quality of care should be expected. The Commonwealth Fund and AcademyHealth have created the State Quality Improvement Institute to assist states in implementing sustainable quality improvement strategies. Lessons have emerged about the role of states in advancing fundamental and systemic changes in the way care is delivered, as well as how providers are organized and compensated. The experiences of states participating in the institute may offer insights for other states seeking to achieve similar goals.