Orlando, Fla., June 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Healthcare Financial Management Association presented its highest individual achievement award to Tejal Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., CPPS, during HFMA’s annual conference today in Orlando.
The Richard L. Clarke Board of Directors Award was presented to Gandhi in recognition of her advocacy for patient safety at the national level, including her efforts to drive patient safety education and professional certification and to create and disseminate innovative safety ideas.
Dr. Gandhi, formerly President and CEO of the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), is Chief Clinical and Safety Officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, following IHI’s merger with NPSF in May. She is also President of the IHI/NPSF Lucian Leape Institute and the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety.
“We commend Dr. Gandhi for raising the bar on patient safety by working to keep this issue front and center, engaging patients in safety efforts, and expanding safety initiatives beyond the acute care setting,” said HFMA President and CEO Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA. “HFMA is committed to raising awareness of and support for patient safety initiatives in the healthcare finance community.”
HFMA worked closely with NPSF to develop “Optimizing a Business Case for Safe Health Care,” a toolkit that guides collaboration between safety and finance leaders to demonstrate the value and return on investment for providing safer, high-quality care.
Throughout her career, Dr. Gandhi has been committed to educating other clinicians on the topic of patient safety. She is regularly invited to speak on this issue, has mentored physicians in post-doctoral study, and frequently served on regional and national committees and boards. In her new role at IHI, she will be guiding a patient safety agenda that includes focusing on safety as a public health crisis in need of system-level attention across the entire continuum of care.
Dr. Gandhi is a board-certified internist and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and she is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety. She received her M.D. and M.P.H. from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, and trained at Duke University Medical Center. Her undergraduate training at Cornell University was in biochemistry.
Established in 1964, the Richard L. Clarke Board of Directors Award recognizes individuals who make significant, positive contributions to the profession of healthcare finance or the financing of healthcare services.
About HFMA
With more than 40,000 members, the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) is the nation's premier membership organization for healthcare finance leaders. HFMA builds and supports coalitions with other healthcare associations and industry groups to achieve consensus on solutions for the challenges the U.S. healthcare system faces today. Working with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, HFMA identifies gaps throughout the healthcare delivery system and bridges them through the establishment and sharing of knowledge and best practices. We help healthcare stakeholders achieve optimal results by creating and providing education, analysis, and practical tools and solutions. Our mission is to lead the financial management of health care.
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