Dr. Joanne Turnbull, retired Executive Director, National Patient Safety Foundation, recommends Lawrence Ellis & Associates "whole-heartedly." Here, she explains why:

In 1999, the Institutes of Medicine of The National Academies released their report To Err is Human, which concluded that preventable medical error is the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S. — greater than deaths from breast cancer, AIDS and automobile accidents combined. The report shook the medical establishment and the entire nation. The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) had been formed a few years prior , and this report gave the Foundation new prominence at the helm of the patient safety movement.

It is in this environment that Joanne Turnbull, the then-new executive director of NPSF, recognized the need to boost the Foundation’s effectiveness, and engaged Lawrence Ellis & Associates to assist in this effort.

"I met Lawrence Ellis at a healthcare conference, at which he delivered a day-long workshop on practices for facilitating and managing change. I was preparing a 10-hospital system for accreditation before the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare ., so his presentation resonated deeply with me. However, what impressed me most was the effect he had on the attendees (some of the nation’s top healthcare leaders). This group had disparaged an earlier presenter who failed to meet our high standards. In comparison, they gave Lawrence a standing ovation, which, according to conference organizers, is the first and only time this has happened in the nine-year history of the conference.

As soon as I had an opportunity to hire Lawrence Ellis & Associates, I did. This was when I accepted a position as the executive director of National Patient Safety Foundation, during a time when the organization was gaining prominence, and I needed a resource to help us boost the Foundation’s effectiveness. Lawrence Ellis & Associates was the perfect resource.

We engaged Lawrence Ellis & Associates to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our organization, and to set us up for success to implement the subsequent recommendations on our own. The results were outstanding, and far surpassed my expectations . Each employee and Board member involved found the assessment interview exceptionally thorough, professional and surprisingly provocative. The report — which was a synthesis of the interviews and other relevant organizational data — covered every major aspect of our organization, and will help guide the Foundation for years to come!"

Then, in an offsite retreat and in follow-up meetings, we made significant headway in tackling a few of the most pressing issues facing the Foundation, and identified action teams and next steps to move ahead on the remaining issues.

Without question, I whole-heartedly recommend Lawrence Ellis & Associates to any organization seeking expert counsel in becoming more effective and efficient." — Dr. Joanne Turnbull
Retired Executive Director, National Patient Safety Foundation

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