(IHI: Cambridge, MA) -- The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has announced details of its 13th Annual International Summit on Improving Patient Care in the Office Practice & the Community. The popular event brings together health care professionals working in primary care and community settings who are striving to make critical connections across care settings, while containing costs and providing the best patient experience. The conference will take place March 18–20, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

In three years, 157 hospitals participating in the Premier health care alliance’s QUEST have saved an estimated 24,820 lives and reduced health care spending by nearly $4.5 billion.

(ISPE: Tampa, FL) – The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) has released a new industry guidance document, Project Management for the Pharmaceutical Industry. This guide is the first document of its type to discuss and compile best practices for project management concepts within the context of the pharmaceutical industry. The guide serves as a toolkit to help pharmaceutical project managers deliver successful projects quickly.

(Thomson Reuters: Ann Arbor, MI) -- Thomson Reuters has released its fourth annual study identifying the top U.S. health systems based on balanced, systemwide clinical performance.

The study culled data from more than 300 organizations and singled out 15 hospital systems that achieved superior clinical outcomes based on a composite score of eight measures of quality, patient perception of care, and efficiency.

(NSF: Ann Arbor, MI) -- NSF-DBA, an NSF International Health Sciences company providing training, consulting, and auditing for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries, has acquired UK-based medical-device training and consulting company, Pink Associates, with the company’s managing director, James Pink, joining NSF-DBA as a partner.

(Thomson Reuters: New York) -- In recognition of the International Year of Chemistry 2011, Thomson Reuters published a research report analyzing The Changing Role of Chemistry in Drug Discovery. By tracking pharmaceutical industry data during the last decade along with insights from industry experts, the new report forecasts the end of the blockbuster drug era.

(Verisurf: Anaheim, CA) -- Verisurf Software Inc., a leading supplier of advanced 3-D measurement solutions to manufacturers worldwide, has expanded into new corporate headquarters that includes a metrology training center.

Verisurf’s consistent growth is due to increasing implementation of Verisurf 3-D measurement solutions in manufacturing companies, ranging from small machine shops to large aerospace companies and their global supply chains.

(Productivity Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- After nearly a year of debate, in March 2010, Congress passed and the president signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to reform the U.S. health care system. The most significant social legislation since the civil rights legislation and the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, the bill’s passage has been met with great controversy.

(MIT News: Cambridge, MA) -- Whatever your profession, systems thinking is critical for success in the global economy, according to speakers at the 2011 MIT SDM Conference on Systems Thinking for Contemporary Challenges.

(Thomson Reuters: New York) -- A new report has found that health care organizations that have won Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards for performance excellence or have been considered for a Baldrige Award site visit outperform other hospitals in nearly every metric used to determine the 100 Top Hospitals, a national recognition given by Thomson Reuters.