(IHI: Cambridge, MA) -- The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1991 to help lead the improvement of health care throughout the world, will host its 13th Annual International Summit, “Improving Patient Care in the Office Practice and the Community,” on March 18–20, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

Those attending will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from some of the leading health care improvers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom who are building entirely new models of care, anchored by greater engagement with patients, families, and communities. There’s never been a more pressing time to demonstrate how innovation can lead to better health and better health care, at reduced costs. The office practice has the potential to serve as “ground zero” for new designs by becoming the critical integrator and coordinator for patients and families across multiple care settings, whether it’s the hospital, nursing home, office practice, or someone’s home.

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