Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit, multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education.

Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 as a group practice with the mission of providing “Better care of the sick, investigation into their problems and further education of those who serve.” 

Each year thousands of patients travel to Cleveland Clinic from every state in the nation and more than 132 countries around the world. In 2011, Cleveland Clinic recorded 5.1 million patient visits. 

Cleveland Clinic serves the community by building partnerships with community members and providing numerous health and wellness programs including free health screenings and education. Cleveland Clinic is committed to serving its surrounding neighborhoods and helping people make positive health and wellness choices. In 2011, its community benefit contribution totaled $552.2 million, including $145.6 million in charity care.

A leading medical innovator, Cleveland Clinic counts among its major medical breakthroughs coronary artery bypass surgery, the first near-total face transplant in the United States and the discovery that bariatric surgery controls diabetes.

Cleveland Clinic health system includes eight community hospitals, 16 full-service family health centers, a children's hospital for rehabilitation and one affiliate hospital. Cleveland Clinic facilities can be found throughout Northeast Ohio, as well as in Florida, Nevada, Canada, and Abu Dhabi.

Today, with more than 1,400 beds on Cleveland Clinic main campus and 4,450 beds systemwide, Cleveland Clinic is one of the largest and most respected hospitals in the country. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals, and its heart and heart surgery program has been ranked No. 1 since 1995.

Cleveland Clinic

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The Patient Experience

As Chief Experience Officer for Cleveland Clinic since July 2009, Dr. Jim Merlino has been working on several initiatives to ensure that all aspects of the patient experience meet the highest standards.

Additionally, Dr. Merlino is leading efforts to positively impact employee experience to ensure that employees are engaged and satisfied, because positive employee engagement positively influences patient experience.

Dr. Merlino also is the Vice Chairman of the Digestive Disease Institute and a staff colorectal surgeon, specializing in the treatment of colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and minimally invasive surgery. He is certified by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery and the American Board of General Surgery and is a fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Merlino received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland. He completed his fellowship training at Cleveland Clinic and received the Clinical Fellow of the Year award in 2005. He completed his residency training at University Hospitals of Cleveland and his undergraduate studies in business administration at Baldwin Wallace University, Cleveland.

The author and co-author of numerous articles in medical and peer-reviewed scientific journals, Dr. Merlino’s research focuses on postoperative ileus, screening for colon and rectal cancer, and the treatment of intra-abdominal infections.

Patient Experience

Cleveland Clinic Bio

Becker's Hospital Review - Interview

Patient experience touches everyone; whether or not you have been a patient, someday you will be.  Ensuring an exceptional patient experience is critical to driving not only satisfaction, but also safety, quality and value. Cleveland Clinic has differentiated itself through patient-centered care, under the leadership of Dr. Merlino.  Dr. Merlino shares with audiences Cleveland Clinic’s journey and how other healthcare systems and service industries can learn from this transformation.

Felicia Davis and Jessica Draddy

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Chief Experience Officer

View this excerpt from James Merlino, MD, speaking on patient experience at Cleveland Clinic.

James Merlino, MD: Patient Experience

As part of a video series filmed by Fenton at TEDMED 2012, Lisa Witter interviews James Merlino, Chief Experience Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, and Dave d...

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