CEO’s Message
I am proud to lead University Hospitals, where we continually strive to create a better and more vibrant future for our health system, for the patients we serve, and for our communities.
We have a noble goal – to be the most trusted health care partner for our patients and in our region. This is powered by our four differentiators: improving the quality of care while reducing costs; providing compassionate and equitable care; pioneering medical research and breakthroughs; and serving as the hometown team.
Our commitment to provide the highest quality care at the lowest possible cost, or what we call high-value care, means we are constantly innovating new ways to deliver care. One example is by reducing variations in care while enhancing the patient experience. Another is by creating regional Centers of Excellence, which is good for patients because they facilitate a high volume of uniform specialty care enhancing overall outcomes. A third illustration is by keeping people healthy at home, such as through our Hospital@Home program, where patients are monitored 24 hours a day and seen by care providers twice each day in the comfort of their homes.
One of the ways we demonstrate compassionate and equitable care is through our community health investment and engagement strategy, where we have provided more than $3.5 billion in investments over the last decade. We focus this on four areas: Maternal & Child Health, such as through our breastfeeding equity project for soon-to-be mothers, Behavioral Health, including a program in which case managers can devote several hours a month to individual patients and help them navigate obstacles so they can live a healthier life; Economic Opportunity, such as through our Future Nurse Academy, which offers residents in our area exposure to nursing, one that might lead to a nursing career, and Well-being, including our no-cost cancer screenings at community events.
Another component of Well-being includes our upcoming enhancement of health care in the Glenville community. That will occur through our investment in the new wellness center in a brand-new housing development, called The Davis, followed by two more wellness centers in Richmond Heights and Bedford. You can read more about our Community Benefit initiatives here.
UH is also a leader, statewide and nationally, in the number of research studies performed here each year, as well as in pioneering medical breakthroughs. Recent examples highlighted in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine include how UH has found an alternative to amputation for patients suffering from limb-threatening ischemia, the most severe form of peripheral artery disease; a clinical trial finding by a UH physician that mechanical removal of a clot blocking blood flow in an artery gives patients with large strokes a dramatically better recovery, and data from a new study at UH Seidman Cancer Center that shows significant promise for personalized treatment in men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer.
UH is the “Hometown” team, meaning this region is where we make our investments, which come in many forms. That might mean expanding our facilities and what they offer, such as through the $236 million expansion of our UH Ahuja Medical Center campus. Our investment also means creating the workforce of tomorrow and providing opportunities for those who live in our communities. For example, we have joined with Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth in committing to support hiring and workforce development programs in Northeast Ohio. Not only does this help us as employers in filling the demand for more caregivers, it creates a career pathway for the people who live in our region and enhances the diversity of our talent.
Our efforts at UH in all these arenas have also been recognized nationally. For example, the American Hospital Association (AHA) awarded us the 2022 Quest for Quality Prize, the most prestigious honor they bestow. The AHA is the premier national trade association representing more than 5,000 hospitals and health systems. The prize recognizes health care leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health in communities. A multidisciplinary committee of health care quality and patient safety experts selected UH, based on our exemplary achievements, including our approach to quality, safety and equity. Many illustrations of our continuous Quest for Quality can be found in our 2022 Annual Report.
We will never rest on our laurels. As healers, teachers and discoverers, we continue to work diligently to Advance the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion, while eliminating barriers to health care for all.