Hospitals

Cleveland Clinic targets heart, cancer care for hospital affiliation program

Establishing partnerships around heart care, cancer care and neurology are the top priorities for Cleveland […]

Establishing partnerships around heart care, cancer care and neurology are the top priorities for Cleveland Clinic in its hospital affiliation program.

Like other hospitals with a high national profile, the Clinic is looking to step up its affiliate program as a means of boosting its marketing efforts and acquiring new revenue streams. And though hospitals are often reluctant to admit it, affiliation agreements also can provide a source of new patient referrals.

Affiliations offer “an opportunity for Cleveland Clinic to transfer intellectual property and increase the quality of healthcare across the country,” a Clinic spokesman said. “Cleveland Clinic does receive an annual affiliation fee, and the programs offer a unique opportunity to extend the Cleveland Clinic reputation and brand.”

The Clinic’s most publicized affiliation agreements involve heart surgery, a program that extends back to 1994. The most recent publicly announced heart-surgery affiliation was with Central DuPage Hospital in Illinois, an agreement struck last year. It represented the Clinic’s first heart-surgery affiliation with a hospital west of Ohio, though heart-surgery programs aren’t the only ones the Clinic is looking to strike agreements with.

“In addition to cardiology and cardiac surgery, we are finding a demand in the market for neurosciences and cancer care,” the spokesman said.

For hospitals, the main benefit of establishing an affiliate agreement with the Clinic comes from the opportunity to improve care quality through access to and implementation of the Clinic’s best practices or protocols. Affiliate hospitals also are able to use the Clinic’s name in marketing efforts, which certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to the Clinic’s heart care program, ranked No. 1 in the country by U.S. News and World Report for 17 consecutive years.

One Clinic heart-surgery affiliate since 2006, Chester County Hospital in Pennsylvania, has seen an increase in activity as a result of the partnership, according to a report from the Healthcare Financial Management Association. “We’re in a smaller market, so we didn’t see a significant jump in volume immediately, but without the relationship with Cleveland Clinic, we would definitely have a smaller program,” said Paul Huberty, senior vice president of strategic planning and marketing.

As for what the Clinic looks for in an affiliation partner, quality is job one.

“Cleveland Clinic looks for hospitals that have a commitment to quality and efficiency,” the spokesman said. “Prior to offering an affiliation, we assess the quality of the hospital’s programs, processes and look for physician alignment to a culture committed to quality.”

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