Arab Medical Tourism Magazine

Cleveland – Cleveland Clinic, one of the world’s leading healthcare institutions currently ranked as one of the best three hospitals in the United States, will be represented at both the Arab Health Congress and Arab Health Exhibition to be held January 29 to February 1, 2007, at the Dubai International Exhibition Center. In addition to the delegation of top physicians presenting at the Arab Health Congress, led by the President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, M.D., this year Cleveland Clinic will also showcase its services for international patients at the Arab Health Exhibition. Cleveland Clinic has a longstanding history of treating patients from the Arab world and recently signed an agreement with Mubadala Development to establish a world-class specialty hospital in Abu Dhabi, called Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
“The demand for an increasingly broad range and high quality of specialized healthcare, surgical procedures and other treatments is growing very fast,” said Dr. Cosgrove. “There is a demand for a variety of locally-based and overseas patient services and Cleveland Clinic is continually developing new ways to make its world class healthcare available more easily to more patients.”

A pioneer of international patient services, Cleveland Clinic offers a combination of local services, electronic consultations, telemedicine and overseas healthcare. Some of those services will be showcased at Arab Health, demonstrating how easy it is for patients in the Arab world to use Cleveland Clinic services.

A regular speaker at the Arab Health Congress, Dr. Cosgrove will present on "The Quality Revolution" at the Leaders in Healthcare Conference on January 29. Managing and measuring quality has always been high on Cleveland Clinic’s agenda and the organization now has one of the most comprehensive and robust quality management systems in healthcare. Cleveland Clinic founded the Quality Institute in 1998 to measure and recommend ways of continuously enhancing the quality of care throughout Cleveland Clinic facilities and making findings available to patients.

Five top Cleveland Clinic speakers will present to delegates attending the Leaders in Healthcare Conference (January 29), the Orthopaedics Conference (January 29-30), Middle East Obs-Gyne Conference (January 29-30), IT in Healthcare Conference (January 28 – February 1) and the 2007 Update: Management of Rheumatic Diseases (31 January 31 – February 1).

Cleveland Clinic Heart Center was recently ranked number one in the United States for the 12th Consecutive Year by the annual U. S. News & World Report, “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Cleveland Clinic was also ranked among the three best hospitals in the United States out of more than six thousand hospitals surveyed and its Taussig Cancer Centre was ranked 14th in the United States. Overall, the survey ranked 16 specialties at the Clinic among the best in the United States and deemed 11 of those specialties to be among the top 10.

Cleveland Clinic Urological Institute and Digestive Disease Center are also ranked very near the top of their fields. The institution’s specialties of orthopaedics, otolaryngology, nephrology, neurology/neurological surgery, rheumatology, pulmonary, endocrinology, and geriatrics are each positioned in America's top ten. Other specialties noted for excellence at Cleveland Clinic include ophthalmology, gynecology, cancer, and psychiatry. Cleveland Clinic has about 1,500 physicians on staff, representing approximately 120 specialties and subspecialties. In 2005, Cleveland Clinic provided for nearly 3 million outpatient visits and more than 50,000 hospital admissions from more than 80 nations including patients from across the Arab world.

Cleveland Clinic is taking part in Arab Health in recognition of the increasing demands for healthcare services in the region. Cleveland Clinic has its own International Center to help facilitate the journey for international patients who need to travel to Cleveland Clinic for care. The International Center helps to coordinate travel arrangements, lodging and medical appointments for patients and physicians from around the world, plus services for patients such as interpreters for health care appointments.

Cleveland Clinic (USA) and Mubadala Development (Abu Dhabi) signed an agreement late last year to establish a preeminent world-class hospital in Abu Dhabi to be known as Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. This initiative is set to create a new benchmark for the development and promotion of healthcare services in the Middle East.

Under the terms of the 15-year agreement, Cleveland Clinic will establish, develop and operate a world class specialty hospital and clinic in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), using the Cleveland Clinic systems, procedures, guidelines and standards. The hospital will incorporate Cleveland Clinic’s medical group model, providing a spectrum of specialty services that will be planned and developed based on the results of a comprehensive health economic impact study. The result of the agreement will therefore be an extension of Cleveland Clinic’s model of medicine and clinical capabilities in Abu Dhabi.

The agreement between the two parties was signed at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. The two signatories were H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO and Managing Director of Mubadala Development and Dr. Delos M. “Toby” Cosgrove, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Clinic. The signing took place after a briefing on the new agreement and the initiative to senior government officials.

The site of the new hospital will be on Al Suwwa Island, located close to the Mina Zayed Port, and across from Abu Dhabi Mall. It is scheduled to be operational in three years.

The clinic is accepting job applications from individuals interested in working at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Recruitment for Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi will encompass a range of specialties including but not limited to physicians, nurses, technicians, pharmacists and administrators. Interested applicants can submit their information while attending Arab Health 2007 by visiting Cleveland Clinic’s booth (3A10). Interested parties can also visit http://www.clevelandclinicabudhabi.com. Once the information is submitted, Cleveland Clinic will do follow-up, providing updates and additional information as it develops.

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. Approximately 1,700 full-time salaried physicians at Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2005, there were 2.9 million outpatient visits to Cleveland Clinic. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 80 countries. There were nearly 54,000 hospital admissions to Cleveland Clinic in 2005. Cleveland Clinic’s Web site address is www.clevelandclinic.org.