Press Ganey Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:pgnd) today announced that Becker’s Healthcare has named Press Ganey President and CMO of Strategic Consulting, Dr. James Merlino, to its 2016 list of “50 Experts Leading the Field of Patient Safety.” This list recognizes clinicians, advocates and legislators who work to eliminate medical errors and improve safety in the health care industry.

“Patient safety and High Reliability care are foundational elements of the patient experience for leading health care organizations across the continuum,” said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO, Press Ganey. “We are pleased that Becker’s Healthcare has recognized Jim’s unique leadership and expertise in this area. Jim and his team are committed to partnering with organizations to create ongoing strategies that enable them to make Zero Harm a non-negotiable goal as they advance the safety, quality and experience of care.”

An accomplished surgeon and innovator in patient experience improvement, Dr. Merlino draws from nearly two decades of health care experience to drive patient safety initiatives. At Press Ganey, Dr. Merlino oversees the patient experience and strategic consultancy division, including Press Ganey’s HPI® safety and High Reliability solution, helping organizations establish a patient-centered culture focused on the delivery of safe, high-quality and reliable care with zero tolerance for harm. Prior to joining Press Ganey, Dr. Merlino served as chief experience officer and associate chief of staff at the Cleveland Clinic, where he developed strategic programs to improve the patient experience.

The Becker’s editorial team considered nominations and selected leaders for this list through an editorial review process. The full Becker’s Healthcare list can be viewed here.

About Press Ganey

Press Ganey Holdings (NYSE: PGND) is a leading provider of patient experience measurement, performance analytics and strategic advisory solutions for health care organizations across the continuum of care. Celebrating 30 years of experience, Press Ganey is recognized as a pioneer and thought leader in patient experience measurement and performance improvement solutions. Our mission is to help health care organizations reduce patient suffering and improve clinical quality, safety and the patient experience. As of January 1, 2016, we served more than 26,000 health care facilities.

About Becker’s Healthcare

Becker’s Healthcare is the leading source of cutting-edge business and legal information for health care industry leaders. Its portfolio includes five industry-leading trade publications: Becker’s Hospital Review, Becker’s ASC Review, Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality, Becker’s Spine Review and Becker’s Dental Review. Becker’s Healthcare publishes a number of lists annually. Some include a nomination process while others are compiled through a lengthy research and review process. Each list is vetted through a panel of industry experts. Each list is published on the appropriate publication website, and some lists are also included in the print publication.