Peter Drucker once described the modern American hospital as among the most complex of all business enterprises. It's become much more complex since then. And so has the environment in which it operates. Many single hospitals have evolved over the last 20 years into multihospital systems that include not only inpatient capabilities but also extensive ambulatory and physician networks. A few offer health insurance. They face a high degree of uncertainty and growing resistance from an increasingly diverse array of competitors.

"Strategy" describes "a plan for getting from a place in the present to a better place in the future in the face of uncertainty and resistance." Strategies have quality. Some strategies are better than others. Organizations that develop and effectively implement better strategies will generate superior performance.

Some health systems significantly outperform others. The central question is: Why? It is to that question that the America's Most Strategic Health Systems™ project is focused. It is an ongoing multiyear study that seeks to understand and promote thinking that advances the performance of the nation's health systems. It is led by Dan Beckham, one of the industry's leading strategy consultants. Dan is supported by expert advisors who serve as leaders in America's health systems and collaborate through the Southeastern Institute for Health Care Strategy and Innovation ( HCStrategyInnovation.com ). The Institute identifies and profiles health systems that have demonstrated notable strategic prowess.