Jim Cotelingam brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit healthcare operations and strategy
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Cleveland Clinic has appointed Jim Cotelingam the health system’s Chief Strategy Officer.
Cotelingam will lead the enterprise Strategy Office team, which is responsible for setting Cleveland Clinic’s growth plans. The team manages several areas: market intelligence and analytics; enterprise strategy development and major strategic initiative implementation; and strategic transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, affiliations and service agreements.
Cotelingam brings extensive strategic and operations experience spanning more than 20 years in nonprofit healthcare, including health systems and health insurance. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, he was the senior vice president of strategy at Trinity Health, one of the five largest health systems in the United States at the time.
At Trinity Health, Cotelingam led enterprise growth initiatives that contributed to doubling the size of their organization, and he was extensively involved in their payor and value strategy. He developed Trinity Health’s inaugural system strategic plan and oversaw implementation of innovative geriatric emergency departments.
Cotelingam also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Trinity Health International, leading the organization’s international business for seven years. Other roles Cotelingam held at Trinity Health include director of operations and director of business development.
“Jim is a seasoned and thoughtful leader who brings distinguished experience across the healthcare sector,” said James Merlino, M.D., Chief Clinical Transformation Officer. “His insight and leadership will guide the future direction of our enterprise and drive our domestic and international growth strategy.”
In 2019, Cotelingam joined Cleveland Clinic as the executive director of strategy. Since that time, he helped establish the organization’s five-year strategic framework, worked closely on the Mercy Medical Center agreement, formed local and international growth plans, and developed new market modeling capabilities. He has served as interim Chief Strategy Officer since February 2021.
Cotelingam earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Oberlin College, and a Master of Health Services Administration from University of Michigan.
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. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 81,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,743 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,160 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,690-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 276 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2023, there were 13.7 million outpatient encounters, 323,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 301,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 132 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
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