Two of the nation’s top hospitals to provide access for complex cardiac patients enrolled in Cleveland Clinic’s employer product
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BOSTON and CLEVELAND – Boston Children’s Hospital and Cleveland Clinic have entered into an agreement to provide complex pediatric heart services through Cleveland Clinic’s Cardiovascular Specialty Network, bringing together two world-renowned institutions to establish and manage best practices related to patient care, outcome measurement, quality reporting and clinical research for children’s cardiovascular care.
Cleveland Clinic has been ranked No. 1 in adult cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report for 23 consecutive years and Boston Children’s is the No. 1-ranked children’s hospital and has been a top-ranked heart care program for 22 consecutive years.
“Teamwork in many forms is the next phase of American medicine. We’re finding new ways to combine our individual strengths for better patient care and higher value,” said Hani Najm, M.D., chair of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at Cleveland Clinic.
As part of the collaboration, Boston Children’s has been given special status in the network, including: participation in leadership of the pediatric program along with Cleveland Clinic, and sharing in the establishment and management of best practices related to patient care, outcome measurement, quality reporting and clinical research for cardiovascular care for children.
“Together, our goal to develop and provide consistently high-quality outcomes will drive ongoing improvement and spur innovations for the benefit of patients and families. The collaboration between our organizations offers access to high quality, cost effective care to employers’ families who need the most complex heart care,” said Pedro J. del Nido, M.D., chief of Cardiac Surgery at Boston Children’s.
“Boston Children’s is well-known for its commitment to providing high-quality patient outcomes, as are we,” said Lars Svensson, M.D., chair of the Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute. “This agreement will bring together two great institutions dedicated to improving pediatric cardiac surgery care. With this relationship, we look forward to offering more families access to this world-class, complex care and to collaborating with the Boston Children’s team in order to continue to improve and innovate.”
“The Cardiovascular Specialty Network programs offer patients and families immediate access to best-quality heart care, not only for catheter and surgical procedures, but also for diagnosis,” notes Tess (Elizabeth) Saarel, M.D., the Ross Family Endowed Chair for Pediatric Cardiology at Cleveland Clinic. “One of the important benefits we’ve seen in children referred to the network has been the avoidance of unnecessary surgeries and procedures. We’re excited to partner with Boston Children’s heart team, which shares our commitment to the best care for children.”
The two organizations intend to eventually expand the services beyond heart care to include other complex and rare pediatric care.
“During this time of increasing demand for value in the healthcare marketplace, teaming up with another renowned institution such as Cleveland Clinic provides a way for more patients from across the nation to access world-class specialized care,” said pediatric surgeon Steven J. Fishman, M.D., president of Physician Organization and senior vice president of Access and Business Services at Boston Children’s. “This agreement offers high-quality healthcare while managing costs.”
Using innovative, research-driven and personalized therapies, Boston Children’s Hospital Heart Center cares for heart patients from all over the world for treatment of common problems to complex congenital heart conditions. Even in the most complex cases, surgical success rates are among the highest in the world. Boston Children’s is recognized as one of the largest pediatric heart centers in the world and over the last five years has performed 6,881 cardiac surgeries, 7,607 catheterizations and 3,405 electrophysiology procedures. The hospital also reported 23,547 echocardiograms and 25,272 clinic visits in 2016.
Cleveland Clinic has been a leader in the development of a national network that offers curated providers and services directly to national employers and payers. Cleveland Clinic’s pediatric heart program has consistently produced clinical outcomes better than the national average, as reported by The Society for Thoracic Surgery (STS). Since the inception of its pediatric heart program in 1985, Cleveland Clinic has performed more than 150 pediatric heart transplant surgeries. The hospital also reported 8,331 pediatric outpatient visits, 7,114 echocardiograms and 438 catheterization procedures in 2016. The Cleveland Clinic-led Cardiovascular Specialty Network is the first national network of selected high-value cardiovascular care providers for the purpose of contracting with employers and payers.
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 51,000 employees are more than 3,500 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 14,000 nurses, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic’s health system includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 10 regional hospitals, more than 150 northern Ohio outpatient locations – including 18 full-service family health centers and three health and wellness centers – and locations in Weston, Fla.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2016, there were 7.1 million outpatient visits, 161,674 hospital admissions and 207,610 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. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
About Boston Children’s Hospital Boston Children’s Hospital is home to the world’s largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 1,100 scientists, including seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine and 10 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Boston Children’s research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children’s today is a 415-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. Boston Children’s is also the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more, visit our Vector and Thriving blogs and follow us on our social media channels: @BostonChildrens, @BCH_Innovation, Facebook and YouTube.
