The changing face of
health care
President and CEO of
the Cleveland Clinic
Regional Hospitals
discusses recent
trends in health
care
By Richard Heck
Feb. 3, 2009
With
our current economy,
the health care
industry has a new
stewardship role:
the preservation of
jobs, said Fred
DeGrandis, J.D.,
president and CEO of
the Cleveland Clinic
Regional Hospitals
and past chair of
OU-COM’s Centers for
Osteopathic
Research and
Education Board.
“That motivates us
to work harder to
support people,
their families and
keep driving the
economy. One foot on
the brake and one on
the accelerator,”
DeGrandis said
during his recent
OU-COM visit, when
he presented on “The
changing face of
health care.”
DeGrandis explained
that, with the
rampant merging of
hospitals into
regional health
systems during the
1980s and early
1990s, many medical
institutions now
rank among the
largest employers in
their respective
communities.
“We are, all of the
sudden, Cleveland’s
top employer and one
of the most
important players in
the community,”
DeGrandis said of
the various
community hospitals
that form the
Cleveland Clinic
Health System—two of
which, South Pointe
and Fairview
Hospitals, are CORE
members. “It’s not a
position of power,
but a position of
responsibility and
stewardship.”
DeGrandis also
discussed how, at
their best, such
hospital mergers can
better leverage
resources and
integrate care.
“We see the
Cleveland Clinic as
a group practice
that owns a health
system, not as a
health system that
owns a group
practice. We are run
by doctors, not by
suits,” he said.
“I’ve seen both
kinds of systems,
but this is one
where the physician
is the lead at the
table, and that
grounds the
organization in a
significant way.”
When physicians take
a more active role
in managing health
care facilities,
they can better
utilize human
resources. “We are
moving to a model
that is
physician-driven and
patient-focused: a
health system where
we focus on
strengths and
excellence.”
In other words, the
system assesses
which of its
hospitals excels at
which services,
directing patients
to the best possible
care, DeGrandis
said. Instead of
each hospital taking
a “general store”
approach, the
Cleveland Clinic can
easily refer
patients to its
leading specialists.
Technology also will
change the face of
health care,
DeGrandis said. So
far, the United
States health care
industry lags behind
other developed
nations in the use
of information
technology, such as
electronic medical
file sharing among
physicians. “It
would revolutionize
medicine,” DeGrandis
said, if
physicians—especially
in the emergency
room—could instantly
access a patient’s
relevant medical
history.
In the meantime,
DeGrandis noted how
the Cleveland
Clinic’s affiliation
with the CORE has
helped the
institution better
serve its community.
“Medical education
lifts up the
hospital. It
challenges us to
stay at the
forefront,” he said.
“The doctors really
come alive and
become more engaged
by the teaching
process.”
Students and
residents also help
support the clinic’s
service mission.
“(The Cleveland
Clinic) partners
with other
organizations to
offer community
health screenings,
which provides
another training
process for CORE
students and
residents.”
Moving beyond
current trends in
health care,
DeGrandis challenged
students to
constantly remind
themselves of why
they chose medicine.
“Your job is
improving the
quality of life for
your family, friends
and neighbors. …
That is the calling
of health care,” he
said.
DeGrandis has been a
leader in hospital
administration for
more than 30 years,
serving as legal
counsel, president
and CEO of various
health care
institutions in the
greater Cleveland
area. In addition to
the Phillips Medal,
he has received
numerous awards,
including the All
Ohio School Board
Award, the 2004
Meritorious Service
Award from the Ohio
Osteopathic
Association and the
2006 Exemplar Award
for Community
Service.
|