As Cleveland Clinic nears its centennial in 2021, the top-ranked, global hospital system is serving more patients than ever before.
Whether it’s telemedicine, virtual visits or building new facilities, Cleveland Clinic’s continued international expansion is furthering the organization’s mission of medical education, research and clinical excellence.
“Cleveland Clinic’s goal is to touch and positively influence as many lives as possible worldwide,” says Curtis Rimmerman, MD, MBA, Chairman of Cleveland Clinic International Operations.
U.S. News & World Report has named Cleveland Clinic the No. 2 hospital in the U.S. and, for the 26th consecutive year, the No.1 hospital for heart care. With its proven track record domestically, the nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center has also turned a focus to improving the health of individuals globally, no matter where they live.
Cleveland Clinic first opened an outpatient center in Canada in 2006, then expanded further abroad to the U.A.E. in 2015. Here, in partnership with Mubadala Investment Company, it opened Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a 394-bed facility capable of addressing a range of complex and critical care requirements specific to the local population. Additionally, there are eight Cleveland Clinic representatives living around the world whose job it is to connect local patients and providers to Cleveland Clinic.
Looking to the future
Construction continues to progress at Cleveland Clinic London, the first European location in the organization’s expanding global footprint. The 185-bed hospital will open in early 2022, preceded by its first outpatient facility in autumn 2021. In 2022, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi will open a state-ofthe- art oncology center, designed to meet the specific needs of cancer patients and bring an integrated and transformative approach to diagnosing and treating cancer to the U.A.E. And in 2024, the organization will reach China, when the first Cleveland Clinic Connected project, Shanghai Luye Lilan Hospital, is set to open to patients. Under the Cleveland Clinic Connected agreements, organizations are connected to Cleveland Clinic’s best practices in clinical operations, patient experience and quality of care. It’s one more way patients around the world can access Cleveland Clinic care and expertise.
Rob Stall, Executive Director of Cleveland Clinic International Operations, says: “As we grow and double the number of patients served by 2024, our focus is to remain true to the standards we have established in the U.S. All of our expansions bear the unmistakable stamp of Cleveland Clinic in terms of quality, experience and care priorities.”
Collaborative care and innovation
Cleveland Clinic’s value-based model of healthcare involves multidisciplinary teamwork, with the patient always at the center of care. As a fully integrated healthcare delivery system, it is capable of taking on the most complex cases and providing collaborative care supported by cutting-edge research and technology.
The model has also been a catalyst for innovation, and Cleveland Clinic is known for a number of firsts, such aspioneering coronary artery bypass surgery, the first full face transplant and the first to deliver a baby from a deceased-donor uterine transplant in the U.S. Similarly, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has had an enormous impact on its landscape, having the only multi-organ transplant program in the U.A.E., and performing the nation’s first successful heart, liver and lung transplants from deceased donors.
Global Patient Services
Serving patients who come from outside their home country to receive care at a Cleveland Clinic facility is also a priority. Through its Global Patient Services, patients are assisted with travel and accommodation arrangements appropriate for their condition, interpretation services, and care coordination, all with a thorough understanding of the cultural background and needs of patients and their families.
Dr. Nizar Zein, Chairman of Global Patient Services for Cleveland Clinic, says: “While patients travel to our facilities looking for the best possible care available, they also need empathy – a team who understands their individual needs, medical or otherwise, and who involve them in their own treatment plans.” Since its founding in 1921, Cleveland Clinic has significantly changed the healthcare landscape in the U.S., and as it approaches its 100th anniversary, its impact in raising the standards of healthcare globally is increasingly evident. 
