During
today’s annual State of the Clinic address, Cleveland Clinic CEO
and President Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., outlined the successes of 2018
and announced a five-year strategic plan to double the number of
patients served over the next 5 years, while making Cleveland Clinic
“the best place for care anywhere, and the best place to work in
healthcare.”

“We
are a beacon of hope for millions,” Dr. Mihaljevic told caregivers
Wednesday morning in the ballroom of the InterContinental Hotel in
Cleveland. “The world looks to us for innovative solutions to the
greatest challenges in healthcare.”

2018
marked Dr. Mihaljevic’s first year as CEO and president of
Cleveland Clinic. Throughout 2018, Cleveland Clinic cared for more
than 2 million patients – the highest annual total in its history.
Operating revenue increased 6.2 percent to $8.9 billion.
Contributions to state and local economies – in the form of jobs,
wages and taxes – totaled $17.8 billion. The heart and urology
programs were ranked No. 1 in the nation by US News & World
Report. And the Cleveland Clinic footprint continued to expand – in
Northeast Ohio, with the addition of Union Hospital in Dover and the
opening of Cleveland Clinic Children’s new home; and in Florida,
with the addition of four hospitals in 2019.

Several
innovative initiatives launched in 2018 to focus on important issues
of quality, affordability, patient safety and caregiver wellbeing. To
position Cleveland Clinic to thrive in today’s complex healthcare
environment, Dr. Mihaljevic unveiled a five-year strategy based on
healthcare industry trends, the needs of the communities we serve,
and Cleveland Clinic’s history.

“We
will stay true to who we are – working as a team with the patient
at the center of everything we do,” said Dr. Mihaljevic. “We will
care for patients and families across their lifetimes, with proactive
care, supported with the very best of digital technology. And we will
grow and double the number of patients we serve over the next five
years.”

In
2019, Cleveland Clinic will continue to focus on the four care
priorities it introduced in 2018 – care for patients, caregivers,
the organization and the communities we serve.

Care
for Patients: “Our vision for Cleveland Clinic is to be the best
place for care anywhere. It is the reason why we are here.” –Dr.
Mihaljevic

Patient
safety is “our non-negotiable priority,” Dr. Mihaljevic said.
Serious safety events – such as wrong-site procedures, patient
falls with injury, retained foreign bodies, or other occurrences that
may cause patient harm – decreased in 2018. “But we have to do
better. Our goal for serious safety events is zero. To eliminate
them.” To accomplish that, safety issues must be heard and
addressed quickly.

Last
year, Cleveland Clinic ushered in a “transformative innovation”
called tiered daily huddles, which tackle real-time problem-solving
in 15-minute, stand-up meetings that occur daily in every part of the
organization. Nearly 25,000 caregivers take part every day. Problems
are resolved on the spot or escalated to a higher tier. At exactly 11
a.m., the CEO and top leadership meet to analyze quality, patient
safety, and patient and caregiver experience issues across the
enterprise, including the operating performance.

To
further encourage caregivers to bring safety issues to light,
Cleveland Clinic will present a new “Speak Up Award” for
individuals and teams. “Silence is the enemy of safety,” he said.
“Cleveland Clinic supports a culture where every caregiver can
speak up, without fear, on matters of patient safety.”

Care
for Community: “We want every community we serve to be the
healthiest community possible.”–Dr. Mihaljevic

Cleveland
Clinic is “committed to the wellbeing of every community we serve,”
not only for the health and well-being, but also economically.

In
2016 (the latest report issued), Cleveland Clinic added $17.8 billion
to the local economy through wages and taxes. In 2017, the Clinic
provided more than $906 million in community benefit (including
financial assistance, Medicaid shortfall, subsidized health services,
outreach programs, education and research).

In
2019, Cleveland Clinic employs 66,000 caregivers worldwide, including
4,200 physicians and scientists, 2,800 advanced practice providers
and 16,600 registered nurses. As an organization, Cleveland Clinic is
committed to improving the wellbeing of our local community by
focusing on two pressing issues – opioid addiction and infant
mortality – alongside our partners in the community.

Caregivers,
too, are committed to the community through community service
initiatives. Cleveland Clinic will support those efforts through a
new volunteer initiative – Community Service Time Off, which will
offer caregivers an opportunity to volunteer on paid time with
designated agencies.

Care
for Caregivers: “Our vision is to become the best place to work in
healthcare. We will do so by taking care of each other like family.”
–Dr. Mihaljevic

Burnout
among healthcare workers has become a national problem. Last year,
Cleveland Clinic launched the Office of Caregiver Experience, the
first in healthcare. Following more than 11,000 interviews with
Cleveland Clinic caregivers, the office is addressing caregiver
burnout and promoting resilience.

“We
are approaching burnout by leveraging technology, teamwork, and
improving wellness,” said Dr. Mihaljevic. “We have hired scribes
and deployed voice recognition to make documentation more seamless.
We expanded the care team by doubling the number of advanced practice
providers in the last four years.”

Diversity
and inclusion will continue to be a cornerstone of Cleveland Clinic’s
culture. “We do not tolerate discrimination in race, religion,
nationality, culture, age, sexual orientation & identity, or
veteran status. Our diversity is our strength,” he said. “By
2024, we will have leadership that fully reflects the diversity of
those they lead.”

Care
for the Organization: “It’s our moral obligation to open our
doors as wide as possible for those in need.” –Dr. Mihaljevic

Healthcare
is under immense economic challenges, as costs rise and reimbursement
falls. At Cleveland Clinic, a new Healthcare Delivery Science Center
will study care processes to determine the most effective and cost
efficient approaches.

“We
have to fight to keep costs low and care affordable for our
patients,” Dr. Mihaljevic said. Access, too, is critical. “Last
year, we cared for over 2 million patients – more than ever before.
Despite adding more facilities and more caregivers, we barely made a
dent in demand for our services,” he said. “We can’t take this
demand for granted. It’s our moral obligation to open our doors as
wide as possible for those in need.”

Through
physical and digital growth, Cleveland Clinic will care for more
patients with each passing year.

New
investments in infrastructure will provide additional access to the
Neurological Institute, the Cole Eye Institute, Fairview Hospital and
in the Mentor community. In Florida, Cleveland Clinic welcomed four
new hospitals from Indian River and Martin Health in 2019. Cleveland
Clinic Abu Dhabi is expanding into cancer care. And Cleveland Clinic
London is scheduled to open in 2021.

Telemedicine
will further expand access, making Cleveland Clinic care “available
to patients in every corner of the world,” Dr. Mihaljevic said.
“Everything we do and everyplace we are and will be, will bear the
unmistakable stamp of One Cleveland Clinic – with the same quality
and experience at every location. This is the Cleveland Clinic way.”

-Ends-

About
Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland
Clinic is a non-profit multispecialty academic medical center that
integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education.
Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned
physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based
upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation.
Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including
coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the
United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names
Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its
annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland
Clinic’s 66,000 employees are more than 4,200 salaried physicians
and researchers and 16,600 nurses, representing 140 medical
specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic’s health system
includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 16 regional
hospitals (11 in Ohio, five in Florida), more than 150 northern Ohio
outpatient locations – including 18 full-service family health
centers and three health and wellness centers – and locations in
Las Vegas, Nev.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London,
England. In 2018, there were 7.9 million total outpatient visits,
238,000 hospital admissions and observations and 220,000 surgical
cases throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came
for treatment from every state and 185 countries.

Visit
us at www.clevelandclinic.org
Follow us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic