Four Pillars for Sustainable Centers of Excellence

Four Pillars for Sustainable Centers of Excellence: Four Pillars for Sustainable Centers of Excellence Changemakers have established Centers of Excellence (CEs) within health systems as hubs for research and innovation to improve health care delivery. CEs are often led by researchers who strive to create structures for translating evidence into best practices and embedding those practices into standards of care. Each CE faces the challenge of ensuring the sustainability of its work. The issue brief, Four Pillars for Sustainable Centers of Excellence, was developed to support AHRQ’s Diagnostic Center of Excellence grantees in shaping their sustainability plans. It provides recommendations, examples, and success stories from effective CEs that can benefit any type of CE. These recommendations offer four pillars of sustainability: Alignment, Integration, Leadership Support, and Windows of Opportunity.