To answer that question, authors Greg Butler and Chip Caldwell researched over 220 healthcare organizations to determine what differentiates high performers from organizations that fail to achieve lasting operational success. Their research revealed that success lies in the ability of leaders to organize the change process. This major finding is the foundation for the performance improvement model described in this book. The book focuses on the crucial role leaders should play in the performance improvement process and provides proven methods for increasing the effectiveness of quality improvement methods. Driving meaningful change in healthcare is a complicated business, but the pathways to success tend to take a simple form. We witnessed this book s techniques save hundreds of millions of dollars in healthcare costs....Our experience continues to demonstrate that the structure of transformational initiatives is the most critical variable in achieving meaningful progress and predicting success. From the Afterword