Bio: Linda T. Kohn, Janet M. Corrigan, and Molla S. Donaldson
This report is the first in a series of reports to be produced by the Quality of Health Care in America project. The Quality of Health Care in America Project was initiated by the Institute of Medicine in June 1998 with the charge of developing a strategy that will result in a threshold improvement in quality over the next ten years.Thirty-eight people were involved in producing this report. The sub-committee on, Creating an External Environment of Quality, under the direction of J. Cris Bisgard and Molly Joel Coye, dealt with a series of complex and sensitive issues. Additionally the Subcommittee on Designing the Health System of the 21st Century, under the direction of Donald Berwick, had to balance the challenges faced by health care organizations with the need to continually push out boundaries and not accept limitations. Lastly, under the direction of Janet Corrigan, excellent staff support has been provided by Linda Kohn, Molla Donaldson, Tracy McKay, and Kelly Pike.