by Jennifer Bowen, Katie Dragga, Emily Garvey, Lauren Hennen, Christina Ipavec, Brittany Moffat, Kim Schneider, Colleen Smitek, Beth Stallings, Carly Toyzan, Erick Trickey & Jim Vickers; edited by Colleen Smitek
Dr. Toby Cosgrove Cleveland Clinic President and CEO | 69
Why he’s interesting … Biggest employer in town, second biggest medical group in the world, leader in heart surgery: The Cleveland Clinic’s list of accomplishments grows longer each year. As its leader, Cosgrove, a world-renowned cardiac surgeon with more than 22,000 operations under his scalpel, keeps charging forward. The Clinic is in the midst of a 4-million-square-foot expansion and will soon open a facility in the United Arab Emirates. And President Obama popped in for a discussion on health care in July.
What Obama learned … The Clinic is organized differently than most places. “We are all salary with no financial incentives. There is no tenure. We all have one-year contracts.”
His personal health challenge … “It’s always getting enough exercise.”
Workout of choice … The elliptical
The hardest part of the job … “Communicating from Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi and from Canada to Florida with 40,000 people and getting the message across”
On business in Abu Dhabi … “It’s a big cultural difference. The patients expect to just walk in any time and be seen with no appointment.”
First step to control health care costs … Get control of the “epidemic of self-destruction” in America, including smoking and obesity
Health care prediction … “We’re going to get something uniquely American. I don’t think we’ll be able to copy any of the Western European countries. I don’t think the American public would stand for it.”
Thursday, January 14, 2010 1:08:00 AM by kim brannan
thanks to dr.cosgrove my husband lived 3 more years longer than what we thought he would, after having his aortic vaulve replaced for the 2nd time,he lived 3 years longer to die to cancer at 58 years young. I was so empressed with c/c and dr. cosgrove that i tell everyone to go up there.and several folks have and said the place was great. thanks so much
Thursday, January 14, 2010 1:09:45 AM by kim brannan
please forgive the errors in my comments
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 12:49:37 PM by Anonymous
I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Cosgrove and his patients during my tenure at CCF in the '90s while I was in nursing school. I have a great deal of respect for his knowledge and talent, an appreciation for his compassionate bedside manner with the patients and his down-to-earth nature toward staff overall. He never passed me in the hall without acknowledging me. I'm from a town not far away and sadly, I admit, my small town physicians for the most part lack this necessary quality. Dr. Cosgrove and CCF will always hold a very special place in my heart. It was, without a doubt, a God given blessing to have such an experience.
