The Cleveland Clinic pioneered modern medicine by organizing a multi-specialty group together for the first time in 1921. Founded from a small medical clinic, the institution grew and is today the first institution in the world to integrate international medical professionals, with more than 65,000 practitioners, Cleveland Clinic serves nearly 6 million patients a year in more than 200 locations.

The history of the clinic begins at the time of the First World War, having its organization in 1860 and taking recognized form in 1917 with George W. Crile organizing the first medical unit in America to go to France during the war.

During this period, the unit was called Lakeside, and it treated patients wounded in the war. Impressed by the collaboration that took place during the war years, Dr. Crile and his fellow doctors Frank Bunts and Willian Lower began dreaming of recreating the partnership formed again in America, and in the year 1919, they began funding their first clinic.

From 1921 to 1928, the hospital grew and expanded, creating 140 hospital beds, an integrated laboratory, and a diabetes-specific treatment unit.

The next important milestone would happen in 1936, with Dr. George Crile, where a new thyroidectomy technique was developed, faster and with good results. The next decades involved the hospital not only in more developments, such as the first dialysis program, cardiological advances, first cadaver kidney transplant, but also, they were the first hospital to use a computer to create an electronic health record, among others, and with the participation of its doctors in wars and in the opening of new studies and research programs.

In 2003 Cleveland Clinic, in its field of nursing, was awarded the Magnet Status, which is the highest award for excellence in the field of nursing in the United States. The following years were marked by expansions in the US and abroad, such as the Cleveland Clinic hospital in Abu Dhabi (2015), partnerships with other health institutes and laboratories (2012), as well as significant advances in health technology and procedural innovation.

In 2017 Cleveland researchers have an important medical milestone, discovering how cancer cells in the brain escape to the immune system. In the same year, researchers also conducted the first deep brain stimulation surgery experiment, for recovery in stroke - stroke, the experiment is part of a clinical trial that assesses the potential that the procedure has to improve movement in patients who have suffered a stroke, being the first trial of its kind in the US.  

In 2019 they had two prominent events, being the first hospital in the world to perform robotic surgery for a kidney transplant. This year the Cleveland Clinic also received the largest donation in its history, a total of $261 million dollars from the Lord Foundation of Ohio foundation. Also in 2019, Cleveland Clinic was named the second-best hospital in the world by Newsweek magazine, and the best hospital for cardiac treatments for 25 consecutive years according to the company U.S. News & World Report. Cleveland Clinic has also been named 10 times as one of the most ethical companies in the world.

The year 2020 was marked worldwide by the COVID-19 virus, but hospitals, as well as the Cleveland Clinic, prepared to open more hospital beds, equipment, and staff. Cleveland Clinic has actively participated in numerous studies related to COVID-19 and has published dozens of articles on the subject, and was one of the first places worldwide to offer to test for COVID-19. The hospital even turned a field at its university into a care area for patients infected with the disease, in order to help in their proper treatment and care.

The year also brought an award in the area of neurological and brain health for establishing a research center exploring Alzheimer's in Nevada.

For patients who are undecided when choosing a hospital for treatments, the Cleveland Clinic has a page designed to help with decision-making. Within the prerogatives, the hospital places that having the evaluation of a joint commission, being an evaluation nationally recognized in the USA as a symbol of quality.

Finding out if the hospital is well classified with state and consumer groups is one of the first steps to be checked before choosing. This can be done by contacting the state health department, medical advice, or ask a doctor you trust what he or she thinks about the area. The Cleveland Clinic website also shares the quality and performance reports in terms of surgeries, certain types of infections, and how patients assess their experiences at the site.

The patient safety program focuses on constantly improving the safety of patients, visitors, and workers. One of the pillars of this security is in electronic medical records, the Cleveland Clinic is one of the leaders in the healthcare industry to convert medical records on paper to electronic forms.

Among the advantages of electronic medical records is immediate access to the entire patient history, besides decreasing the chances of file loss or tampering, when medical teams need to have access to a medical record, everyone can look the same without having to order copies, improving communication and the performance of the entire team for the sake of patient health and safety.

There is also the safety rounds program, where at least once a month the representatives of the quality and patient safety team, inspect and ensure everything is in order for the next patient. These rounds aim to:

  • Show commitment and seriousness to other employees for patient safety and develop a better relationship between everyone;
  • Create and facilitate a non-punitive safety culture;
  • Encourage reporting and security improvement opportunities;
  • Talk directly to hospital leaders about how to improve internal systems and processes.

Talk directly to hospital leaders about how to improve internal systems and processes. The program encompasses patient assessment, interventions, staff training and courses, patient education, and outcome assessment. Other programs that enhance the quality and safety of patients are the flu vaccine program, hand hygiene, latex-free environment that is known to be a highly allergenic agent, "MyChart" program, my medical record, national patient safety system, patients as partners in safety, "respond with your heart" program, security event reporting system, among others.

Ninsaúde Apolo is a software for clinics and doctors' offices that helps in various safety issues, practicality, and quality in electronic patient care, if you are not yet one of our customers, schedule a demo and discover the advantages of an EMR.

Source: Cleveland Clinic 100 years - Cleveland Clinic Patient Safety Program