Two Patient Safety Leaders Announce Formal Affiliation

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA—ECRI Institute and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) announce the successful completion of their plans to join forces. Effective today, ISMP is an ECRI Institute affiliate. By joining together, the two patient safety leaders have created one of the largest healthcare quality and safety entities in the world, driving greater value to the healthcare organizations across all care settings.

ECRI Institute and ISMP are globally respected, nonprofit organizations that promote patient safety by sharing adverse effects, near misses and unsafe conditions, including ones associated with pharmaceutical product and medical device use. Four out of five U.S. hospitals rely on ECRI Institute’s data and recommendations to protect patients from unsafe practices and ineffective products. During its 25 year history, ISMP has improved clinical practice and informed public policy changes, including drug labeling, packaging, and administration practices.

“The healthcare industry urgently needs independent, fact-based, transparent evaluations of new technologies and treatments to ensure quality of care and patient safety,” says ECRI Institute President and CEO Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD. “This affiliation strengthens our capabilities and accelerates the creation of additional value for those we serve throughout healthcare, most importantly, patients.”

Under the terms of the affiliation agreement, ISMP will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ECRI Institute. Both organizations retain their core missions and business operations, and seek opportunities to collaborate and develop new products and services. ISMP President Michael Cohen, RPh, MS, FASHP, and Executive Vice President Allen J. Vaida, PharmD, FASHP, continue to lead ISMP, working closely with ECRI Institute executives. Schabacker and two other ECRI leaders have joined ISMP’s board of trustees.

“This affiliation is the natural evolution of a stronger partnership between two leading organizations dedicated to improving patient safety,” says Cohen. “We will now be able to work more closely together to share lifesaving information and further a vision where safe, high-quality healthcare is more readily available.”

To learn more, visit www.ecri.org, call ECRI Institute at (610) 825-6000, or e-mail communications@ecri.org. For more information on ISMP, visit www.ismp.org, or call (215) 947-7797.

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• @ECRI_Institute & @ismp1 sign affiliation agreement, creating largest #healthcare quality & safety institution globally

About ECRI Institute
ECRI Institute is an independent, nonprofit organization improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. The combination of evidence-based research, medical device testing, and knowledge of patient safety makes ECRI uniquely respected by healthcare leaders and agencies worldwide. For more than 50 years, ECRI Institute has had an unwavering dedication to transparency and strict conflict-of-interest policies. The organization has earned a reputation as the trusted voice of unbiased, research-based assurance for tens of thousands of members around the world using its solutions to minimize risk and improve patient care. ECRI Institute has the only medical device testing labs in North America and the Asia Pacific, where engineers conduct hands-on independent device testing for safety and human factors usability. ECRI Institute is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Visit www.ecri.org and follow @ECRI_Institute to learn more.

About the Institute for Safe Medication Practices
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is the only 501c (3) nonprofit organization devoted entirely to preventing medication errors. ISMP is known and respected as the gold standard for medication safety information. For more than 30 years, it also has served as a vital force for progress. ISMP’s advocacy work alone has resulted in numerous necessary changes in clinical practice, public policy, and drug labeling and packaging. Among its many initiatives, ISMP runs the only national voluntary practitioner medication error reporting program, publishes newsletters with real-time error information read and trusted throughout the global healthcare community, and offers a wide range of unique educational programs, tools, and guidelines. In 2020, ISMP formally affiliated with ECRI Institute to create one of the largest healthcare quality and safety institutions in the world. As a watchdog organization, ISMP receives no advertising revenue and depends entirely on charitable donations, educational grants, newsletter subscriptions, and volunteer efforts to pursue its life-saving work. Learn more at www.ismp.org.

For more information, contact:
Laurie Menyo, Director of Strategic Communications
(610) 825-6000, ext. 5310
lmenyo@ecri.org