Cleveland Clinic Program Connects Members to a Wealth of Expertise

A robust program of collaborative support now allows hospitals and healthcare organizations anywhere in the world to connect with Cleveland Clinic’s clinical and operational experts to enhance patient care and distinguish themselves within their markets.

The aim of Cleveland Clinic Connected is to improve healthcare quality and experience for patients at member institutions, and advance the caregiver experience, including education and professional development.

“Cleveland Clinic Connected was established as a global platform to share best practices, especially around quality, safety and patient experience,” says James Merlino, MD, Chief Clinical Transformation Officer. “Domestic and international members have access to Cleveland Clinic experts, both for support with complex patient care issues and for operational improvements such as supply chain, IT and finance.”

Prakash Chandrasekaran, enterprise lead for Cleveland Clinic Connected, says the program leverages Cleveland Clinic’s 100 years of learning to meet members’ specific needs. “We offer our members access to best practices, educational opportunities and, ultimately, enhanced market positioning as a local trusted leader in healthcare.”

How the membership is built

Collaborative work is a cornerstone of Cleveland Clinic Connected. The relationship begins with a period of exploration, during which teams from both organizations discuss program offerings, potential members’ goals and priorities, and Cleveland Clinic’s expectations from members.

This is the time during which potential members examine how a relationship might be valuable to them, ways to leverage Cleveland Clinic expertise, and most importantly whether the organizations share essential values, Dr. Merlino says.

“The goal is to build a network of independent, like-minded, high quality organizations that can have a positive impact on patient care around the world,” he says. “Potential members need for us to fully understand their priorities and opportunities for improvement, and we need to share how we can make a meaningful impact to their patients, caregivers, organization and community.”

Benefits of membership

Once organizations become Cleveland Clinic Connected members, they have access to an array of offerings such as:

• Education and training.
• Ability to discuss complex patient cases with a Cleveland Clinic colleague.
• New program development.
• Advisory services.
• Continuous improvement.
• Cleveland Clinic Connected co-branding and marketing support.

Clinical advisory services include provider-to-provider e-communications. Clinicians from member hospitals can use an electronic platform to submit details of cases they’d like to have reviewed and receive educational feedback from Cleveland Clinic specialists. Hospitals with limited specialty providers may see important benefits when treating a patient with a complex condition on which they might need to consult a colleague, Dr. Merlino adds. “They can access our 6,000 providers and get support and recommendations around patient-centered care. That’s powerful,” he says.

Operational advisory services connect professionals from the member organization to Cleveland Clinic experts on virtually any other aspect of hospital operations. “They don’t have to navigate complicated operational challenges on their own. They have access to Cleveland Clinic experts who can provide input,” says Chandrasekaran.

Members also have access to marketing support that leverages Cleveland Clinic’s domestic and international reputation for excellence and leading-edge care. Members receive advice and strategy support on how to use Cleveland Clinic Connected materials to further their brand awareness with patients and providers in their market.

Cleveland Clinic Connected membership is a global offering, available to both U.S. and international organizations, adds Leslie Jurecko, MD, MBA, Chief of Safety, Quality and Patient Experience.

“The key criteria for membership is that the organization be aligned with Cleveland Clinic’s mission to improve safety, quality and patient experience, and that they see opportunities for the relationship to improve reliability in healthcare,” she says. “The hospital might be small, they might be rural, or a larger health system, but ultimately the necessary element is that they have a culture that embraces improvement.”

Membership also can be valuable for greenfield projects, adds Chandrasekaran, who was part of the Cleveland Clinic Connected collaboration to establish a new hospital in Shanghai. “We work alongside them in their efforts to build a hospital. We tailor our services to practices specific to the market and what will work best for local patients and providers.”

That expertise is offered in the context of international experience, adds Chandrasekaran.

“Cleveland Clinic has been successful managing operations in Canada, in Abu Dhabi and in London,” he says. “It’s important to us that members not only in the U.S., but also in, say, Asia or Europe can have the confidence that we have a global track record as well as a history of excellent care in Ohio and Florida.”

For more information on Cleveland Clinic Connected, contact CCConnected@ccf.org.