Six Aims for the 21st Century Health Care System
| Source: Institute of Medicine. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001. |
| Safe—Avoiding injuries to patients from the care that is intended to help them |
| Effective—Providing services based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit and refraining from providing services to those not likely to benefit |
| Patient-centered—Providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions |
| Timely—Reducing waits and sometimes harmful delays for both those who receive and those who give care |
| Efficient—Avoiding waste, including waste of equipment, supplies, ideas and energy |
| Equitable—Providing care that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status |