North Star
America's Clear Compass
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Top Ten Outcomes. Ten Percent of GDP. Ten Years.
Why a North Star
The U.S. has world‑class clinicians and science, yet no shared definition of what a better health system looks like—or how to get there. Reform stalls because incentives clash, the data is noisy, and every dollar of waste removed is a dollar someone used to receive.
We have the horsepower. NIH is the world’s largest public funder, U.S. universities dominate clinical-medicine rankings, over half of new medicines launch here first, and Americans are less likely to die of cancer than Europeans. Yet despite that firepower, our system still ranks 48th in overall health outcomes, behind countries like Slovenia (#16), Chile (#33), and Albania (#36).
The North Star gives the nation a single, unambiguous goal and a common language to align policy, purchasing, and practice.
What makes it different
Simple and
measurable
Three numbers people can repeat, and leaders can be held to.
Outcome ‑
first
We judge success by health, not activity or billable volume.
Clock is
running
A ten‑year horizon creates urgency and a bias for evidence that works at scale.
Equity by
design
Progress must be shared; we track and publish gaps by race, income, and geography.
The North Star isn’t a slogan. it’s an operating system:
01. Measure what matters
Our public Ten Ten Ten Index turns complex data into a transparent score that shows whether we’re moving toward the goal and where to focus next.
02. Certify what works
Our certification process marks healthcare products, procedures and services that improve outcomes and lower total cost with credible, reproducible evidence.
03. Mobilize a movement
The Ten Ten Ten Pledge invites individuals and organizations to commit to the goal and support leaders who move the numbers.
04. Publish actionable positions
We convene national subject‑matter experts to produce concise, evidence‑based position papers that translate the North Star into practical steps for hospitals, clinicians, payers, benefit leaders, and policymakers.
A coalition of experts
The U.S. has world‑class clinicians and science, yet no shared definition of what a better health system looks like—or how to get there. Reform stalls because incentives clash, the data is noisy, and every dollar of waste removed is a dollar someone used to receive.
Ten Ten Ten advisors span healthcare, technology, and policy—and they’re indispensable to our mission. They help shape our positions and rigor-check our work, reviewing and endorsing thought leadership so we say and do the right things with accuracy, balance, and credibility.
- Hospitals & acute Care
- Physician and clinical services
- Drug value & PBM reform
- Data interoperability & real‑time measurement
- Administrative simplification
- Payment reform & benefit design
- Primary care
- Behavioral health integration