Lauren Eckel

Health Care Improvement Foundation

WHO WE ARE The Health Care Improvement Foundation (HCIF) is an independent, nonprofit organization that drives high-value health care through stakeholder collaboration and targeted quality improvement initiatives. HCIF supports the vision of a responsive, coordinated health care delivery system that fulfills the needs of patients and consumers, and achieves better health. Based in Philadelphia, HCIF was founded in 1980. Since its inception, HCIF has been recognized as an outstanding example of how advances in quality care can be achieved through large-scale collaboration. OUR APPROACH HCIF's approach to quality improvement is based on the core value that collaboration at the local level is the key to effective and sustained quality improvement. Our experience provides evidence that by working together with peers, participating organizations and clinicians will accelerate their improvement strategies farther and faster than by working on their own. STAFF AND EXPERIENCE HCIF maintains a staff of ten professionals with a wide range of strengths and experiences including project management, team facilitation, strategy development, measurement and analytics, and program evaluation. Program participants have described HCIF staff as trusted partners, skilled at building relationships and recognizing and leveraging the contributions of collaborative members.