Cleveland Clinic Community Physician Partnership, Medical Mutual Explore Innovative Relationship to Enhance Coordination and Quality of Care

CLEVELAND, Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland Clinic Community Physician Partnership (CPP) and Medical Mutual of Ohio have signed an agreement to form an innovative relationship to enhance coordination and quality of patient care across northeast Ohio.

"This proposed affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Community Physician Partnership will enhance provider collaboration and build a delivery model that puts the patient at the center of the care continuum," said Delos M. Cosgrove, M.D., CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic. "This type of coordination encourages communication between patient, provider and insurer with the goal of ultimately improving outcomes and building accountability for a higher level of care for our patients."

This progressive, quality-driven collaboration will provide physicians and hospitals with an opportunity to better align and achieve high value outcomes for patients. Expected to begin in January 2011, physicians signed into the Cleveland Clinic CPP Quality Alliance will be recognized by Medical Mutual for participating in a practice model that rewards superior quality and consistently efficient care. This type of agreement would be the first of its kind in Ohio.

"Hospitals and insurers alike recognize the need to coordinate resources to achieve improved quality and efficiency in patient care," said Medical Mutual of Ohio CEO Rick Chiricosta. "This new partnership with the Clinic will result in continued improvement in the healthcare delivery system and better value to our customers throughout northeast Ohio."

This proposed affiliation will implement ground-breaking protocols to standardize patient care, obtain additional resources to increase quality outcomes, and develop reimbursement models that put value ahead of volume. Participating physicians will see additional incentives for improving access and quality, coordinating along the continuum of care and improving communication between patient and provider.

"We are eager to work with organizations like Medical Mutual, which are finding innovative ways to enhance relationships with providers and work together toward a common goal of improving quality and standardizing patient care," states Michael McMillan, executive director, Cleveland Clinic Market and Network Services.

Both organizations hope to explore a wide range of approaches to performance-based payment, such as the establishment of a medical home model and shared savings methodologies.

"Through novel partnerships and increased collaboration, we can begin to create a successful new model that moves us away from simply providing services to truly delivering value to patients," said Fred DeGrandis, chair, Cleveland Clinic Community Physician Partnership and its Quality Alliance.

The Cleveland Clinic Community Physicians Partnership aims to support independent physicians in Northeast Ohio in their efforts to provide the best patient care. CPP and its 900-plus independent physician members are accomplishing this goal through collaborative efforts to develop innovative products and services to help improve practice efficiencies and promote high-quality patient outcomes.  

About 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. It 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. About 2,100 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. In addition to its main campus, Cleveland Clinic operates nine regional hospitals and 15 Family Health Centers in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and opening in 2012, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2009, there were more than 4.6 million visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 170,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 100 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org.

SOURCE Cleveland Clinic