The Institute for Healthcare Improvement and National Patient Safety Foundation announced Monday they plan to merge, effective May 1.
Here are four key points about the pending merger.
1. Current IHI President and CEO Derek Feeley will lead the combined organization, which will also maintain the IHI name.
2. Mr. Feeley said in a statement: "Improving patient safety has always been central to IHI's mission of improving health and health care quality. Yet safety now competes for attention and resources with other important issues such as value-driven care and population health. By joining forces, IHI and NPSF will be more effective in helping leaders and frontline clinicians meet all of today's challenges while ensuring that patient safety remains a priority along the way."
3. The merger will combine both organizations' existing patient safety programs. The combined patient safety-focused team will be led by Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, the current president and CEO of NPSF.
4. Dr. Gandhi said, "NPSF and IHI each have a history of raising awareness around patient safety issues and educating the health care workforce about best practices. Our programs are distinct but highly compatible, and we share experience, expertise, and a common goal of accelerating patient safety improvement. NPSF has provided critical thought leadership with the aim of establishing safety as a core value in healthcare, and IHI has demonstrated an ability to influence large-scale, global change. This merger promises to strengthen our ability to advance progress in patient safety in the coming years."