Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 16, 2004  -  The Institute for Healthcare Improvement recently selected Rose Lindsey, administrator of quality, accreditation and case management for Baptist Memorial Health Care, to co-chair the IHI’s 2004 National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care. 

Lindsey will join G. Ross Baker, Ph.D., professor of industrial engineering at the University of Toronto; David H. Gustafson, Ph.D., professor of industrial engineering and preventive medicine at the University of Wisconsin; and John Toussaint, M.D., chairman of the Wisconsin Collaboration for Healthcare Quality and president and CEO of ThedaCare Inc., as co-chairs of the National Forum. 

The National Forum brings together leaders in the health care industry to share innovative techniques and programs for enhancing care. The National Forum co-chair duties include serving as ambassadors for the 2004 National Forum, developing program content for the Forum and helping health care organizations improve their facilities’ quality ratings. More than 9,000 health care representatives participate in the conference.

“Rose Lindsey has added enormous energy, competence and inspiration to enhancing quality efforts in the Baptist system,” said Don Berwick, M.D., president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. “As co-chair of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s National Forum on Quality Improvement in Healthcare, she will bring the same assets to thousands of others. She is an emerging national leader of the first rank.”

Lindsey, a registered nurse and registered health information management administrator, has served in various roles at Baptist Memorial Health Care since 1979, including overseeing quality and preparation for national hospital accreditation and state surveys for Baptist’s 17 hospitals. Lindsey also was the director of review systems for the Mid-South Foundation for Medical Care Inc., a peer review health care organization for Tennessee, from 1986 to 1987. Lindsey is pursuing a doctorate degree in health care administration. 

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement is a not-for-profit organization leading the improvement of health care throughout the world. Founded in 1991 and based in Boston, Mass., IHI is a catalyst for change, cultivating innovative concepts for improving patient care and implementing programs for putting those ideas into action. Thousands of health care providers, including many of the finest hospitals in the world, participate in IHI’s groundbreaking work.

One of the largest not-for-profit health care systems in the United States, Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. offers a full continuum of care to communities throughout the Mid-South. The BMHCC network consists of 17 hospitals; more than 2,500 affiliated physicians; home, hospice and psychiatric care throughout the tri-state area; minor medical centers and clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system highlighted by the Baptist College of Health Sciences. BMHCC is one of the top-rated integrated health care delivery systems in the country, according to the American Hospital Association, and the only Memphis-based provider that spans three states. With an unmatched commitment to patient safety and quality, BMHCC seeks to partner with patients to continually enhance their care.

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