New programs are designed to help manage costs and provide access to Cleveland Clinic care in Florida

July 7, 2022 – Cleveland Clinic Florida is launching its direct-to-employer offerings to include a Musculoskeletal Center of Excellence and Bariatric Center of Excellence. These options help employers manage costs while also providing employees and their covered dependents with access to care at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and Florida. In Florida, the program will begin at the Weston hospital and will eventually expand to other Florida locations.

“We know the effects of access inequality are two-fold — it affects how patients are cared for when sick as well as their future health,” said Conor Delaney, CEO and president of Cleveland Clinic Florida. “These new centers of excellence programs assist in making healthcare accessible and achievable. Our team is dedicated to finding the right options that fit the needs of employees and employers no matter where they are located.”

A critical first step in these programs is the medical record review conducted by an expert Cleveland Clinic Florida surgeon. In some cases, this review results in altering the original treatment plan and patients avoid surgical procedures altogether. This benefits not only the patient but results in cost savings for employers. In addition, depending upon employer coverage, Cleveland Clinic Florida then assists in orchestrating travel arrangements and provides concierge services for program participants. Other benefits include patient navigators who assist in coordinating with home providers and virtual care options.

“When working with employers we have experienced their need, and their constant work, to address inconsistent healthcare quality and rising costs,” said Wesley Wolfe, executive director of Market and Network Services at Cleveland Clinic. “These new innovative centers of excellence aim not only to improve access to care, but help employers add a benefits solution that assists in retaining employees. By offering programs like our centers of excellence, employers give employees access to higher-quality care at a lower-cost.”

Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Spine Health, part of the Neurological Institute plays a vital part in the Musculoskeletal Center of Excellence. An essential part of this new COE includes helping patients with lower-back pain that have received a spine surgery diagnosis. Cleveland Clinic’s group practice physician model ensures there’s no incentive to provide surgical intervention. This means experts work to make certain each patient has the correct diagnosis and treatment plan, resulting in 1 in 8 patients pursing a surgical pathway in the first year. When surgery is absolutely necessary, Center for Spine Health clinicians utilize the most innovative, effective medical and surgical treatments available. It’s why the Neurological Institute performs over 4,000 surgeries annually and is considered an innovative leader in quality and care.

Also involved with the musculoskeletal center of excellence is the Orthopaedic & Rheumatologic Institute, which works to rehabilitate employees through efficient hospital stays and recovery times that allow patients to return to work sooner. Orthopaedic specialists in Florida and Ohio perform more than 8,000 hip and knee replacement surgeries annually with outcomes consistently better than national averages.

As part of the health system’s Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, an American College of Surgeons Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accredited Quality Program, the Bariatric Center of Excellence physicians review the participant’s medical history and diagnosis before determining the correct course of treatment. A patient navigator serves as a single point of contact throughout a patient’s weight loss surgery journey. Cleveland Clinic’s bariatric surgeons perform more than 95% of all procedures with minimally invasive (laparoscopic) techniques, improving patients’ healing and recovery time.

“Providing comprehensive, equitable care for all patients, regardless of where they’re located is a vital part of Cleveland Clinic’s mission,” says Dr. Delaney. “Through thorough, and constant, market evaluations we saw a very real need for these programs in both Ohio and Florida. We’re hopeful these new solutions will combat health disparities and will assist employers in cost savings as we work to provide compassionate care for every patient.”

More information about Cleveland Clinic’s Centers of Excellence is available at clevelandclinic.org/employers.

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit 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 72,500 employees worldwide are more than 5,050 salaried physicians and researchers, and 17,800 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,500-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 22 hospitals, more than 220 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2021, there were 10.2 million total outpatient visits, 304,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 259,000 surgical cases throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.