Nurs Admin Q Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 68–75 Copyright c  2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. Leading the Future We Envision Nurturing a Culture of Innovation Across the Continuum of Care Jim D’Alfonso, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FANP; Anita Zuniga, MSN, RN, CENP; Daniel Weberg, PhD, RN, MHI; Ann E. Orders, MHA In the Fall of 2012, this large integrated health care system located in Northern California, com- prising 21 hospitals and employing more than 25 000 nurses across all inpatient, outpatient, and continuum of care areas, embarked upon a comprehensive initiative to further engage the “hearts and minds” of its nursing workforce while establishing a foundation for innovation in an era of health care reform. This article will outline the strategy employed to ensure that professional nurses across the continuum of care were made aware of the impact of the Affordable Care Act. Major shifts to value-based care and improved performance expectations focus our atten- tion on quality, service, and affordability, also known as the “Triple Aim.” Transitioning from a volume-focused model to a value-based care model requires measurable and sustainable improve- ments over current performance, reinforcing the importance of increased levels of engagement, shared accountability, and purposeful collaboration. Over a span of 18 months, the organization conducted 55 interactive educational forums for point-of-care care teams and leadership. These dynamic learning events helped recalibrate the working foundation for how leaders would nurture the process for innovation among care teams and transform care across the continuum of care. Key words: appreciative leadership, boundary spanning, caring science, point-of-care, staff forums, visioning “BURNING PLATFORM” FOR CHANGE Passage of the Affordable Care Act in March of 2010, and its subsequent implementation in Author Affiliations: Kaiser Permanente Northern California Patient Care Services (Mr D’Alfonso and Ms Zuniga), Former Kaiser Permanente Northern California Continuum of Care (Ms Orders), and Kaiser Permanente Innovation and Advanced Technology (Dr Weberg), Oakland. The authors express their gratitude to Antonetta Yun, MPA, and Gretchen Summer, PhD, RN, of Kaiser Per- manente Northern California Patient Care Services for their valuable assistance. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Correspondence: Jim D’Alfonso, MSN, RN, NEA- BC, FANP, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals/Health Plan, 1950 Franklin St, 19th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 (jim.n.dalfonso@kp.org). DOI: 10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000141 2014, has ushered in unprecedented changes in health care, with reforms focused on ac- cessible, high-quality, and value-driven health care. 1,2 Sweeping changes demand new lev- els of interprofessional collaboration, as care teams work together to promote wellness and prevent complications, while ensuring seam- less patient transitions between providers, specialties, and health care settings. 3 Innova- tion is essential to achieve these goals and to sustain the organization’s vision for improving efficiencies and assuring quality care, while continually improving service to patients, families, and the communities we serve. Point-of-care nurses are uniquely posi- tioned to play a vital role in helping design in- novative models of care delivery, particularly in the areas of holistic care, enhanced coor- dination, improved management of chronic Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. 68