The ECRI Institute will merge with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in early 2020, forming one of the world's largest independent entities focused on patient safety, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
ECRI, led today by President and CEO Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, was established in 1968 by neurosurgeon Joel J. Nobel, MD. Pharmacist Michael R. Cohen registered ISMP as a nonprofit in 1994.
Both independent medical safety organizations are based in the Philadelphia suburbs.
"Our organizations have been working for a long time together in both formal and informal relationships," Mr. Schabacker said. "Our missions are very similar. We're both evidence-based and focused on patient safety."
