Health Affairs September 9, 2022
Health care practitioners and leaders share a common goal to provide exceptional care for patients. The Quadruple Aim framework for health systems encompasses reducing costs, improving population health, enhancing patient experience, and improving the work life of those who deliver care―building from the original model of the Triple Aim. More recently, a fifth aim was suggested to call attention to the lack of health equity in the US, which has been amplified by the disproportionate mortality of socially marginalized populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Equitable and accessible care must ensure appropriate, optimal use of medications since 68.7 percent of clinician visits involve drug therapies. However, each year there are an estimated 275,000 deaths and $528.4 billion wasted in the US...