30 Apr Raising the Bar Implementation Guide: How to Drive Equitable, High-Quality, Cost-Effective Health Care
Health equity is an important part of driving health care quality and ensuring that people have access to the care they need. In 2025, health equity is facing headwinds. While the implementation of health equity strategies has always faced challenges, the current political context puts this work on shaky ground. Despite these uncertainties, we must forge ahead. Advancing health equity is more important than ever as people continue to call for high-quality, accessible, and affordable health care.
Raising the Bar is a multi-year project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that helps organizations advance health equity. In its first phase, the Task Force collaborated with several organizations to develop the Raising the Bar framework, which outlines concrete actions to deliver high-quality care for all patients. In 2024, RWJF supported four organizations, including a behavioral health clinic, a public health department, and two health systems, to implement health equity initiatives using the framework. This resource presents facilitators, challenges, and case studies from these efforts. This resource also incorporates findings from Task Force payers and providers in their efforts to advance health equity and from the Health Equity Business Case. These insights are intended to help other organizations implement the framework.