Ethisphere Institute Names Hospital to Exclusive List of 99 Companies Worldwide

CLEVELAND, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland Clinic has been named one of 2009's World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. Cleveland Clinic is one of just two hospitals to make the list of 99 companies.

According to a statement by Ethisphere, winners were selected for "going beyond legal minimums, introducing innovative ideas to benefit the public and forcing its competitors to follow suit by consistently upping the ante for what it takes to be an ethical leader."

Cleveland Clinic has established itself as a leader through initiatives that manage potential conflicts of interest, provide transparency on the industry relationships of physicians and researchers, and detail the performance of clinical programs through outcomes books, among others.

"Cleveland Clinic is proud to have been named one of the world's most ethical companies," said Delos M. "Toby" Cosgrove, M.D., President and CEO, Cleveland Clinic. "As the first academic medical center to openly disclose the industry ties of our physicians, we are an organization committed to transparency. By providing our patients with timely access to information, they are empowered to make informed medical decisions and ultimately benefit by having a more positive patient experience."

In December, 2008, Cleveland Clinic posted on its Web site (www.ClevelandClinic.org) a current directory of all its physicians, listing their educational and professional backgrounds, their medical specializations and their relationships with industry. Included for each physician, scientist and physician/scientist is a list of the names of companies with which they have collaborations.

Cleveland Clinic has a rigorous process by which it identifies, evaluates, limits, eliminates, or manages potential conflicts of interest. That process is handled by the institutions Innovation Management and Conflict of Interest Committee.

The Ethisphere Institute - which describes itself as an "international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability" - reviewed nominations from more than 10,000 companies, spanning 35 industries and over 100 countries.

Companies were graded in nine categories: corporate citizenship and responsibility; corporate governance; innovation that contributes to the public well being; industry leadership; executive leadership and tone from the top; legal, regulatory and reputation track record; and internal systems and ethics/compliance program.

"It is an honor to have been compared to thousands of companies worldwide and have been selected as one of the top 99 most ethical," said Donald Sinko, Cleveland Clinic's Chief Integrity Officer. "This designation is a tribute to the staff and leadership at Cleveland Clinic who are unwavering in their commitment to providing patients with information and opportunities to actively engage in their own health care."

The position of Chief Integrity Officer - which oversees internal audit, corporate compliance and coding compliance - was created in 2005 as a way to emphasize the role of proper business practices.

This is the third year Ethisphere has published the World's Most Ethical Companies rankings, which appear in Ethisphere Magazine's first quarter issue. For a complete list, visit http://ethisphere.com/wme2009/.

About the Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Cleveland Clinic 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. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. Approximately 1,800 full-time salaried physicians and researchers at Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2007, there were 3.5 million outpatient visits to Cleveland Clinic and 50,455 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 80 countries. Cleveland Clinic's Web site address is www.clevelandclinic.org.

SOURCE Cleveland Clinic

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